


Devil's Night

by The_Dark_Kunoichi



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Cliffhangers, Ghosts, Haunted House, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Major injuries, Mild Language, Mystery, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 10:36:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5160638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Dark_Kunoichi/pseuds/The_Dark_Kunoichi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...And that is the story of how Leonardo ended up right outside the front door of the haunted mansion, with nothing but a camera helmet with night vision, his swords, a wannabe Ipad, and a flashlight. All because he lost at a ridiculous game of rock-paper-scissors. The idea of ghost hunting is silly, and if ghosts were even real, Leo prefers not to put them in their already long, constantly updated list of enemies...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is mildly based on a horror show we had in our country called Philippines' Scariest Challenge, but with a LOT of changes. Don't get me wrong, it's not about the whole show. It's just going to be a basis.
> 
> The show's really freaking creepy, and the players and crew even reported sightings of ghosts. Some are even caught on cameras. You can watch it on Youtube for more information.

...

Leonardo didn't quite know for sure how he got roped into this, but he was starting to regret it. One moment, he was relaxing in the living room in the lair, enjoying the quiet atmosphere, the next he was in this huge mansion wearing a ridiculous set of equipment for their supposed 'expedition.'

But don't blame him, it was all Raphael and Michelangelo's idea.

It all started yesterday. It was the day before Halloween and they were all just watching TV quietly. No one was fighting, because it seems like Raph is in a good mood. Mikey was not being annoying too. He's just there sitting on the floor humming to himself without a care in the world. And for once, Donatello got out of his lab and joined them in the living room, taking part in this rare and unplanned bonding time. Splinter was the only one who didn't join them, choosing to stay in his room to meditate and savor the quiet atmosphere that was so rare in their home.

But then something came up on TV, a commercial for a show called: ' **America's Scariest Challenge** '. It showed two hosts talking about the rules of the challenge. Three players are picked to be brave enough to enter an abandoned place or house renown for something scary at night and complete some challenges enclosed in red envelopes around the area. The hard part? They should only enter one at a time _alone_ , and they don't know where the envelopes are. They only know how many and where the first one is. Of course they have equipment on like a camera, a flashlight, and a two-way radio but that's all they got. The camera and flashlight are for obvious reasons. The radio, you can only use it for three calls for help. If you tried for a fourth one no one will answer you anymore. You can give up, and they can come rescue you inside. But that will show everyone that you are not brave enough to try. The commercial stated that some of the players already experienced something scary there, like seeing or hearing random things. Sometimes, it even gets caught on camera. But it depends on you to cope with it yourself and survive your time there.

The thing was so ridiculous to Leo. The stuff people do to entertain themselves... Meanwhile, here are four teenage turtles, fighting criminals, aliens, ninjas, and robots everyday as their own entertainment. They have no time for ghost hunts. And if there were even _real_ ghosts, Leo would prefer not to put them in their already long list of enemies.

But then Mikey just _had_ to open his mouth.

"Dudes, that was so awesome! I've been thinking... Can we do that?"

"No." Donnie flatly replied.

"Oh come on, it's Halloween! Bad guys rarely attack on that day -they're probably having Halloween parties- and we stopped visiting houses since we were ten so we don't have much to do! I'm so _bored_!"

"Then go read your comics. Don't drag us into this." Leo told him.

"Actually... I kinda like that idea. But that doesn't mean anything Mikey." Raph warned Mikey who was starting to smirk smugly at him.

"What do you mean you like that idea? It sounds really ridiculous to me! I mean, us going on a ghost hunt?" Donnie said in disbelief.

"Well, think about it. I've read that being scared is good for you- _don't ask, Don_ -and it can be a practice session too. You can learn to be quiet and blend in the dark or stuff like that, and you can test your bravery. And the best of all? I can finally hear Fearless here scream like a girl."

Leo felt his eyelid twitch, and he glared at Raph. "That's _not_ gonna happen."

Raph smirked. "Oh yeah? Prove it. Do the challenge."

"Why is it only me? That's hardly fair right? So that means you three should do it too!"

Mikey fist-pumped. "Heck yeah we will! Donnie will provide the necessary thingamabobs! We'll do it on the night of Halloween for an extra spooky atmosphere!"

Donnie's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, hold it! Leo, you're actually agreeing to do this?!"

"I never said anything about doing it! And if we will we should tell Splinter first."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Ugh, Splinter again? He doesn't _have_ to know. We'll just say that we're gonna go topside for fun because it's Halloween and hide all the equipment in Donnie's bottomless duffle bag. He'll never notice a thing because that's _always_ filled with knick knacks!"

Donnie glared at him. "Hey! Leave my bag out of this!"

"Anyway, come on Fearless! There's no harm in doing that! It'll be fun! And like Donnie said, ghosts aren't real. This'll only be like a thrill."

Leo stared at them all. Raph had his smug look on, Mikey's puppy-dog eyes were present and as always, hard to resist. Donnie was visibly shaking his head and mouthing 'NO' over and over again.

"Don't tell me you're scared because of something as simple as that?" Raph taunted.

Leo glared at him, and he caught Donnie at the corner of his eyes slump his shoulders in defeat. Probably because he knew that Leo wouldn't be able to refuse that anymore. Leo crossed his arms. "I'm not scared. And I'll prove it to you. We'll do it. But if _you_ scream, it's not my fault."

"That would _never_ happen, I assure you that."

They glared heatedly at each other, daring the other to strike or yell first. But then Raph backed down, surprising them all, and grinned at him evilly. "Okay then, let's just see what will happen."

Leo narrowed his eyes, "Fine."

Mikey stared alternately between them, like a spectator in a tennis match. "Duuuude... I can tell that this is gonna be freaking AWESOME!"

......

So now they're standing here in the middle of nowhere after lying to Splinter about their real plans. They picked one of the most famous haunted houses in the area. Actually, it's not a house. It's a freaking MANSION. Just like in the horror movies. It has two floors, but do not be deterred, because it's _large_. And now they're standing outside the gate like four ninja ghost busters.

"Dudes? I think I'm starting to freak out a bit..." Mikey whispered when a cold wind blew violently around them, scattering dried leaves everywhere. They're far away from civilization because this is a remote area. They had to use the Battle Shell to get there.

"This is _your_ idea, so suck it up." Donnie said harshly and opened the gate. It creaked loudly and they all winced. Donnie groaned. "Isn't this a perfect horror scene. Next there will be something peeking at us from the window."

"Uh guys? I think I just saw something by the window.." Mikey whispered and pointed at a window in the far right corner of the house in the second floor, but when they turned to look, there's no one there.

"Not funny Mikey." Raph glared.

"But I'm not kidding!"

"Guys, stop. Whatever it is we will do, we do quickly so we can go home. Okay?" Leo asked and they all nodded. "Okay. So what we're going to do is we will try to do the same thing they did in America's Scariest Challenge, but with a _lot_ of differences. First of all, there would be NO challenges."

"What?!" Raph and Mikey both yelled.

"How can this be America's Scariest Challenge if there are No. Freaking. _Challenges_?!" Raph complained.

"Well, first of all, we have to put challenges in there first before we explore, but that will sorta ruin the whole thing of exploring anyway if we know what we're up against already soooo yeah."

"In other words, no challenges. We will only explore it, then we're outta here. No exceptions."

They both groaned and Leo rolled his eyes.

Donnie stepped forward, shuffling through the things in his duffle. "Second, we'll still have the equipment of course. We'll use two flashlights, with extra batteries just in case. A camera helmet, so we can catch additional things if we'll ever be interested to watch the feeds later on. A phone, not our shell cells because those are too small or any old fashioned radio like what they used in the show. Instead, we'll use my new invention. I still don't have a name for it but we all know Mikey will do it _right?_ " Donnie eyed Mikey who crossed his arms.

"You got that right D."

"Whatever. So... the thing is larger than average cellphones and will be used for video feeds or video calls. We won't use the three call limit, but you _can_ limit your video calls so we can, as they say, 'ENJOY' the experience." Donnie emphasized the last word by glaring at Mikey and Raph.

"But we will still have our Shell Cells for tracking and communication just in case. There will be no rescue, so the best we can do when we give up is to track where the others are until we're all together, then we'll get out of here."

Leo stepped forward. "And like the show, we will not enter the mansion together. We will do this one by one. The first one to go will be given a headstart of 15 minutes before the second one goes. This continues until everyone is inside. This 'expedition' of ours will last for an hour only. Are we all clear?"

"Yep." Raph said.

"Uhhh huuuhhh..." Mikey muttered, his hands visibly shaking. From the cold or fright they don't know.

"Okay then, come over here and let's distribute these babies." Donnie said and unpacked all the techs in his bottomless duffle bag. He first handed them the flashlights and the batteries, which they stored in their belts. Then, the camera helmets. And finally, Donnie's new invention. They visibly wowwwed at the design. The device looks strongly like an Ipad. But the cover is like a turtle shell with a shade of red, which obviously means it's for Raph. It has a large screen, with a few colored buttons on the sides.

"That's so cool! I'll name it, the T-Pad!" Mikey fist-pumped the air.

"Wooow. Sooo original." Raph said sarcastically.

"Well, now that you have personally seen it, I'll explain the basics so you won't break it before you touch it or something." Donnie said and his brothers glared at him. "Okay so, that screen is where you obviously look at when you're video calling someone. If you're calling more than one turtle, the screen will be split into two or more screens for each caller, so you won't have to switch between one screen to the next. The buttons on the sides is for who you want to call depending on the colors. Blue for Leo, purple for me and so on. You can lock the screen if you don't want anyone to interrupt your adventure or just to conserve the battery using the button on the top of the device. That's it. Now please don't break it!"

"Come on Donnie, we're not gonna break it with just a single touch!" Raph said and grabbed the T-Pad from his hands. He turned it over and inspected every inch of it dramatically. Donnie eyed him carefully before Raph pushed the lock button and opened the device.

"Huh. That was actually pretty cool." He commented.

"Quick! The orange button!" Mikey suggested and grabbed his own orange T-Pad. Raph complied and pushed the button. Immediately, the T-Pad opened one screen and Mikey's face was shown.

"Wow Mikey, you look extra ugly in here."

"Oh, shaddap Raphie-boy. You're just jealous because you look like crap in here."

" _WHAT?!_ " Raph yelled and tried to smack Mikey's head as he quickly retreated behind Donnie.

"Stop guys, STOP!" Leo cried and grabbed both of their arms to stop them. "Quit messing around so we can finish and go home!"

"Yeah! I still have plenty of things I need to do in the lab plus, Splinter will probably notice something soon!" Donnie added for extra measure.

Raph glared at Mikey. "I'm still not done with you knucklehead."

Mikey blew a raspberry at him and quickly took cover behind Leo to avoid another smack. But then, he realized that behind him and Leo was the door to the mansion.

And it was slowly creaking open.

" _Aaaaahhh!_ " Mikey screamed and ducked behind Donnie for cover. Leo and the others turned to look but the door was closed shut. They all glared at Mikey. Mikey jumped behind Donnie. "What?! But... I saw the door! It-it was opening slowly like in the movies!"

"Quit being such a scaredy cat Mikey. Are you a ninja or not?!" Raph demanded.

Mikey sighed in defeat. "Yeah yeah, I'm a ninja. But I'm warning you, I _did_ see something."

Raoh waved him off and they all proceeded to prepare themselves for the hunt. But then they realized one important thing missing...

"Who'll be the first to go inside?" Leo asked and they all went silent.

Then they all began shouting simultaneously.

"I vote Mikey because he's the one who suggested this in the first place!" Raph yelled.

"Leo because he's the eldest!" Mikey piped up from behind Donnie.

"Raph should go because he's the one who convinced us to do this!" Donnie crossed his arms.

"Donnie doesn't believe in ghosts right? So you'll have no problem at all in being the first one." Leo decided.

They all went silent again, the remoteness of the place and the fact that they're so near to the door making them a bit nervous. Mikey smiled shakily, "So uh... rock-paper-scissors anyone?"

.....

So this is how Leo ended up right outside the front door of the haunted mansion, having nothing but a camera helmet with night vision, his swords, a wannabe Ipad and a flashlight. All because he lost at a ridiculous game of rock-paper-scissors. Mikey would go second, Raph third, and Donnie fourth. Being the first will be really creepy because you'll be all alone in that huge house. Being the last is _also_ creepy because you'll be left all alone outside. So either way, it's bad.

"You can do it Leo!" Mikey cheered half-heartedly behind him, his knees visibly shaking. He must be scared because he'll enter next after him.

"Scream like a girl for me Fearless!" Raph smirked.

"Be alert... just in case." Donnie told him, the only serious one in here.

Leo breathed deeply. It's not gonna be hard. He'll just go in, explore a bit, try not to get freaked out, and go out. It's not like ghosts are real... right? Anyway, he should avoid being scared and, the worst of all, scream. Because he'll never be able to live it down.

He turned one last time to face them, and tried to joke. "If I died here, I'll haunt all of you."

But none of his brothers laughed. Mikey tried to smile, but he was obviously really freaked out now. Leo then started to wonder if what Mikey said and saw earlier was real...

If so, they'll be in deep trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

They all watched as Leo breathed deeply and pushed the doors open. It creaked like crazy and they all winced for the second time that night.

"Catch you later then guys." Leo said, and before he changed his mind, he walked right through and the doors closed with a slam.

Donnie exhaled. "So now we wait and see what will happen."

"Would Leo call first or will I have to enter without knowing what happened to him? What if he got killed or captured by a ghost?! I would've walked straight through the trap if he didn't call right now!" Mikey gripped his head with his hands and started to panic. Raph slapped his head and he groaned in pain.

"Suck it up knucklehead. It's your idea, so you should man up."

"I knooow... you didn't have to hit me." Mikey pouted and Raph rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Let's just wait for our turn quietly, okay?"

They all went abruptly silent, but the atmosphere and the big looming house still unnerves them. Mikey tried to avoid looking at the windows, or anywhere at the house really. He's scared he might see one for real and really freak out. Raph tried to busy himself by tapping on the T-Pad and figuring out a few of the controls while Donnie used his shell cell to track Leo's dot.

"Leo's walking around the main room, probably examining some things." He informed. Raph stopped tinkering with his T-Pad and looked over Donnie's shoulder while Mikey peeked behind them. Surely enough, they can see Leo's dot wandering around a very spacious room. But he abruptly stopped, and to their surprise, his dot suddenly went running deeper into the house.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Mikey asked, still a bit shocked.

"Either he just wants this finished, or maybe he's chasing something." Donnie concluded.

"Dude, he's _chasing_ something?! Holy crap, why would he do that?!" Mikey yelled.

"I said _maybe_. I'm just guessing here. And Leo would call if anything bad happens."

Mikey gulped. "Riiiiight... but dudes, I'm next! What if I saw something?"

"So chase it too!" Raph suggested and Donnie glared at him.

"What would he chase? Ghosts aren't real! Maybe he just saw a stray cat or something."

"Leo ain't the type to chase lost cats." Raph said. "Besides, why are you all getting worked up? There's still the other option that maybe he just wants this to get done."

Mikey finally bottled up some courage and glanced at the house. "I don't know dude..."

....

Leo jumped after the doors slammed shut and he was enveloped in darkness. He didn't close them _that_ hard. He breathed deeply and scowled at the stench. It smells like there's something rotting in here. Probably dead rats.

He flipped open his flashlight and squinted when the bright light shone and lit up the area. He trailed the light slowly around the room to observe it. The first thing he saw were the two sets of huge dusty stairs going up to the second floor. The wooden floorboards rotting and creaking. Right below it are two doors leading who knows where. Four openings, for four of them. Question is, which one shall he take?

He poked around the room, peeking through the four entrances. The second floor probably contains the bedrooms and such. The left and right doors on the first floor leads to a long corridor. But he couldn't see more because his light couldn't reach that far. This whole place gives him a heavy feeling. He didn't understand it, and that just tempted him even more to explore the house.

But it was so silent... it's like the whole house was soundproof. He couldn't even hear his loud brothers anymore, or even the loud wind earlier. The house was still, empty, and pitch black. He felt like a tiny speck compared to this vast silent space. If he breathed quietly, the way he does when in stealth mode, he could still hear it like he was panting hard. When he walked, it sounds like a herd of elephants were jumping around. His ears hurt from listening to nothing and his eyes strained to see anything the way he can when he was moving around a dark room in ninja mode. But this was really different. It's like him being a ninja was useless here. Maybe Raph was right, they can use their time here for practicing to blend in and become one with the dark. Because this? This is pure darkness.

He continued to wander around the room, and would've missed it if he hadn't glanced around. His heart jumped and he abruptly stopped and quickly shone his light at the top of the right staircase. He frowned, he knows he saw something there. Just for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a shadow...

Or maybe it was just a cat, or even a mouse. His mind's just playing tricks on him.

But when he saw it for the second time around, a quick shift in the darkness, he knew it was no cat or mouse.

And he ran for the stairs, his footsteps echoing throughout the vast, empty space...

....

"Five minutes left and you're next Mikey." Donnie informed after he glanced at his watch. Mikey abruptly snapped his head around to look at him, his eyes returning to their panicked look.

"What?! No! Already?! But I don't _want_ to die!"

"Pipe down! No one's gonna die. Just do your part so we can go home."

"Aaaand it's your turn Mikey." Donnie said and proceeded to hand Mikey the T-Pad and flashlight and placed the camera helmet on his head. Mikey shook his head hard, "No! Your watch might have been advanced or something!"

"Nope, just adjusted it and it's good as new. Now go in already!"

They both pushed Mikey towards the door and he squeaked when he came face to face with it. He turned to them, looking really freaked out.

"Guys, if I died, feed Klunk and Ice Cream Kitty for me." He said in a tiny voice.

"I told you, no one's gonna die!" Raph yelled, fed up.

Mikey sniffed dramatically. "Goodbye cruel world!" He yelled and bolted for the door before he got scared even more.

"You think he's gonna make it through the hour?" Raph asked Donnie.

"Probably not." Donnie answered truthfully. Both now felt the change in the atmosphere without their loud brother with them. The mansion was starting to give them an eerie feeling. And then they realized, without Mikey being loud and Leo being his bossy self, they feel really alone.

"Fifteen minutes Raph, then it will just be me here." Donnie muttered quietly.

Raph smirked, clearly hearing it. "So you really wanted to get rid of me huh?"

Donnie rolled his eyes, "Depends if you constantly try to bother me."

Raph's smirk widened.

....

When Mikey heard the door slam shut, he squeaked like a mouse. He stayed plastered on the door, not moving an inch, and not opening his eyes. He was tempted to just stay there or bang his way out and give up, because he knew if he opened his eyes, he would die of fright.

 _Why did he think of coming in here again?_ He groaned silently. Everyone knew he was scared of the dark or all things paranormal related. He always thought he could handle it, until the real situation slaps him across the face. Now he's stuck there, too frightened to move, open his eyes, or even breathe.

But he knew he couldn't stay there forever, and he could almost imagine Raph laughing his ass off when they check in the tracker that Mikey's still by the door. So with that unlikely motivation, he opened his eyes and met pitch darkness.

He blinked and panicked again. He quickly fumbled for his flashlight and turned it on, sighing when the room brightened partially. Oh sweet light! Nothing's safe without you!

But then he realized that he's still in the middle of a wide and dark room, and he freaked out again. Remembering that Leo ran off earlier like he was chasing something, Mikey kept his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

"If I saw anything, I'll run straight outside and call the others, then we'll all get Leo together and leave." He muttered as he held the flashlight in one hand and his nunchuck in the other. After having his trusty weapon at the ready, he sighed in relief for the first time since that night.

"No one will get to me if I have my nunchucks!" He grinned and started marching around the room after having his courage back. He swung his flashlight from one spot to another, trying to figure out where Leo went. He stared at the old staircases, then at the two doors on both sides of the room. All paths he felt a heavy feeling inside him, but he can't stay at this spot forever, he has to move!

He finally chose the left door after a moment of debate, and dashed off before his newfound courage ran off of him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next is Raph and Donnie so stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, fifteen minutes. You're up now Raph." Donnie said after fifteen minutes of constant teasing and hurriedly handed Raph the equipment, clearly eager to get rid of him already.

"Whatever." He said as he put the cam helmet on his head. He then proceeded to stand in front of the door, silently willing his bravery not to leave him.

"Don't you even think about frightening the others Raph, you know Mikey's jumpy, and Leo would get angry. Just explore." Donnie told him.

Raph smirked at him. "What makes you think I'll do that?"

Donnie groaned. "Your look alone says it all."

Raph just smirked even more. "Oh _does_ it?"

Don sighed in defeat, "You're impossible."

Raph laughed, removing the tension in the air. "Just check if Mikey's still there? I would hate it if I knocked him out just by opening the doors."

Donnie glanced at the tracker. "Nope he's already moved."

"Good thing, I thought he'll stay there forever!" Raph grinned and kicked the doors open with a **BANG** , the hinges creaking loudly with the unexpected strength. Donnie now understood what Raph meant. Mikey probably would have had a heart attack if he's still by the doors!

Raph glanced at Don as he was leaving. "Well... since everyone had a last word before they went in... if I die, I'm taking ya'll with me."

"Then you have to stay alive then." Donnie smiled, but then sobered up. "But seriously, no one's gonna die. You're all exaggerating."

"I know, I know. Just trying to fit in..." Raph said offhandedly, and without warning, walked in and slammed the door hard, probably waking every ghost in the vicinity. If there are any.

Donnie suddenly stood there all alone, shocked and kinda shaken.

Another harsh wind made him shiver uncontrollably. He rubbed his hands together and blew on it, all of a sudden feeling very cold. This house is giving him the creeps. But what does he have to be afraid about? There's no one here, just them. And if something _is_ in the house, Leo would've contacted them earlier to not go in. So everything is fine. It's just the atmosphere. Anyone who doesn't believe in anything supernatural would be freaked out if they were here. So no worries.

Donnie checked his watch, seeing that he still has ten minutes to go. He hopes nothing will happen before then...

Raph stood in the dark next to the door, eyes darting around even though he can't see anything. He flipped open his flashlight and shone the beam slowly around him. This place is really weird. It's so silent and dark and... lifeless. And the smell! God, it's like something died here! He wrinkled his nose and started walking around after his eyes got used to the darkness. Well not really. He still can't see a damn thing in here. His footsteps even echoed around loudly even though he's using his ninja stealth mode. Leo probably went mental when he found out about that. That guy prized his stealthiness more than anything. He let go of stealth and started walking around normally, not caring anymore. Besides, who's he hiding from anyway? There's no one here.

Then, he noticed the four entrances. Two staircases and two doors. Two of these were taken, but he didn't know which one. All of the paths looks dangerous and old, but he has to go somewhe-

A sound.

"What the heck...?" Raph muttered and shone his light towards where he heard it, which is the right door. He walked cautiously towards it, eyes narrowed. "Who's there? Is that you Mikey?"

He strained his ears as he listened hard. Weird... he could've sworn he heard someone.

Whoever it is, he's gonna find out.

And he dashed through the right door.

....

" _Aaa_ nd times up. Your turn Donnie." He told himself as he strapped his equipment on and positioned himself in front of the door. He didn't know if the silence he was left at is a good thing or a bad thing, but he'a gonna have to think positively. He exhaled slowly and flipped open his flashlight before opening the door and entering...

The first thing he noticed was the darkness.

The second was the four entrances to the main parts of the house.

"Huh. I wonder where the others went..." Donnie muttered and inspected the four paths.

The doors on the left and right are both open, the latter still swinging shut. It's as if someone ran through both of them, which is something Mikey and another one of his brothers probably did.

He also noticed that the dust on the right staircase was disturbed. So that just leaves him the left stairs. He shrugged to himself and started walking towards it.

After all, what could go wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

Leo panted quietly as he ran, trying to figure out where that freaky shadow thing went. If there are other people in this house, probably daredevils like them, they might see him and his brothers and that would be bad. He should reach them first before that happens.

But he can't see the source of that shadow. Were they long gone?

He finally stopped and tried to catch his breath. But no sooner than he stopped that he noticed he ran deep into the house without thinking, and now he has no idea where he is.

"Damn it." He cursed and pointed the beam of his flashlight around him, trying to figure out the place. What kind of ninja was he, dropping his guard at a place like this?!

All of a sudden, Raph's training-in-the-dark suggestion was making much more sense to him.

He rolled his eyes, if Raph finds out that he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings like the 'perfect' student he was... Well he was paying attention now anyway so it won't matter. He was in a hallway, and obviously, it was very dark. Which was why they needed the flashlights anyway. There were also a few doors. Some of them were probably leading to bedrooms or other important places. But he wouldn't dare go into them because, believe it or not, he was already nervous about his situation.

Come on, anyone with a brain would freak out if they were in the middle of a pitch black hallway with multiple doors, in an old, silent, creepy house, with no one for company. Even Donnie would be terrified, logical turtle or not.

But now's not the time for that.

His eyes darted around, and he took a cautious step forward, silently willing the floorboards not to creak again and reveal his location to every known pest, (his brothers included. Nah just joking) and possibly, (though he's hoping not) some stupid ghosts... dunno why but he was pretty sure those would be added to their enemies list pretty soo-

"GAH!" He cried and almost tripped when he felt something vibrate violently on his belt.

Oh. It's just the wannabe IPad. He took it out and viewed the screen. Someone was calling. Are the others in danger?! Did that shadow thing earlier spotted them?

He quickly answered the call and was surprised to see Mikey's panicked face in the dark staring up at him, along with three others who were obviously unhappy. They all looked pretty fine, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Mikey? What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Oh thank the god of pizzas Leo! I finally figured out how to work this thing! I didn't exactly listen to Donnie's orientation earlier..."

"You didn't listen?! I was helping you survive this hour idiot!" Donnie glared irritably.

"Well I'm sorry! I was distracted ever since I saw that figure at the window earlier!"

"I'm telling you, there's no one there!" Raph growled.

"Wait wait, so you weren't in trouble?" Leo cut in.

"Uhh... did you assume that? Sorry to burst your bubble dude but no. Just wanted someone to talk to. Wait, if I'm in trouble, could we go home?" Mikey's hopeful look stared right at him, making him feel absolutely gui-

"No." Raph snapped. "We haven't even heard Fearless scream yet! And you're giving up NOW?!"

"Hey! Not funny Raph."

"Umm... don't wanna ruin your lovers' squabble but which path did you take earlier?"

Raph and Leo glared at him. "Say anything like that again and it'll be _your_ head I'll use as a punching bag." Raph threatened.

"Whoa, just wanna ask a question dude."

"The right staircase." Leo replied fast to put an end to the argument.

"Really? I took the left door! Wait. Don't tell me I'm all alone in here?"

"Yep. Because I took the right door." Raph smirked at him.

"And I went up the left stairs." Donnie added.

Leo began to tune out of the conversation and started to look around him. Cobwebs? **Check**. Creaky old floors? **Check**. Creepy life-like paintings? **Check**. Rusty doors that might creak open anytime? **Check**.

"Dudes, how could you all abandon me?!" Mikey wailed dramatically.

"It's not like we knew where you went!" Raph growled at him.

"Oh yeah? Well why not use the shell cells tracking device?"

Both of them grew silent. "Good point." Raph muttered.

"Come on, do we really need to tail after you all the time?" Donnie raised an eye ridge.

Mikey grew sheepish. "Well, not _reeaaally..._ Wait, what are you doing?" Mikey quickly turned the attention to Leo who was still in the middle of figuring out where the heck he would go from here.

"Just poking around." Leo said offhandedly and tested a door to see if it was locked. It wasn't and he swung it open. "Huh. It IS a bedroom."

"WHAT?! You're checking out the bedrooms?!"

"Why? What's wrong with bedrooms?" Raph asked him. They looked pretty funny talking when their faces are right next to each other.

"Because _dude_ , since you obviously don't watch scary movies, that's where most of the creepy things happen! _Especially_ in the bathroom!"

"There's also a bathroom in here." Leo informed him nonchalantly as he wandered the room. Now that he wasn't exactly alone, he finally decided to screw up his courage and check the place out.

"NO! Not the bathroom!" Mikey wailed. And Leo, being the good and kind brother that he is, flipped the device over and gave Mikey and the others a good look of the open bathroom door.

He heard Mikey scream bloody murder and he laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But that was just too funny!"

But after a moment, Leo frowned when he didn't hear anyone in the device and he looked at the screen again. "Mikey? Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you. That was just a joke."

But he quickly felt a bad feeling in his gut when he saw his brothers' shell-shocked faces.

"You... you...!"

Leo stared at him. "I what?"

"Y-You mean you can't..."

Leo knitted his eyeridges at Don. "I can't what?"

"T-The..." Raph's eyes were wide. So he _too_ was playing this game.

"The what?!" He asked exasperatedly.

"In the b-bathroom..." Donnie pointed, face extremely pale.

Leo looked at the open bathroom door. It was dark yes but it wasn't anything special. "What about it? Are you all freaked out because it's the first time you saw a dark bathroom?"

" _No!_ Can't... Can't you see it?!" Raph yelled so urgently that Leo almost broke his neck to look at the bathroom door again.

There's nothing there. A broken sink and a dirty toilet maybe. But nothing...

"Are you guys playing a joke on me? Because if so this is _not_ funny." He scolded them.

Donnie shook his head vigorously. "Leo.. there _is_ something. I swear. Get out of there before it sees you!"

Leo then decided to just play along, just in case there _is_ something there. He proceeded to head outside and close the door. But before he could even manage two steps, he heard Mikey whimper. "It... It saw you... IT SAW YOU!"

"Holy crap Leo! RUN!" Raph screamed and that's the time Leo finally understood.

This is no joke.

He ran for the door, shining his light behind him every few seconds to check on what he was running away from. But he really can't see anything! He looked absolutely ridiculous!

Then he saw it.

A shift in the shadows... and wet footprints appearing on the floor heading straight towards him.

His eyes widened and his breathing quickened. He was sure. This... this was the thing he was chasing earlier. He wonders what his brothers really saw, because he can only see the footprints... and they weren't exactly pretty to look at.

"Quick! It's gaining on you!" His brothers' screams urged him to put an extra burst of speed to launch himself at the door and slam it shut seconds before something collided with it and almost shook the door from its hinges. Leo jumped back and almost cried out in shock. Were they only inches from each other the whole time?!

Another bang spurred him into action and he continued to run away from that thing. He breathed harshly, the sounds echoing in the darkness. He turned sharply around a corner and started running again, shining his light and looking around him at the same time. If another one jumped at him again he's freaking _out of here_.

He could hear his brothers breathing hard in the device. Leo was worried, because what if something got to them too? So he slowed down after a while and struggled to control his breathing, totally freaking out.

He could hear the others panting, like _they_ were the ones who ran like crazy. Leo held up the device and looked at their faces. They were all white as sheet, and he probably looked like that too.

"Are you all okay?" He asked just to make sure.

"Dude, you're the one who almost died and got kidnapped by the ghost chick and you're asking _us_ if we're okay?!" Mikey asked in disbelief.

"You really need to sort out your priorities." Donnie tried to smile but it came out more as a grimace.

"Priorities? Alright then, my first priority is to ask you all: What the hell _was_ that thing!?" Leo asked them all, no longer able to keep out the panic in his voice.

"You mean you really didn't see it?" Donnie asked him in worry.

"No, okay?! So would you please tell me already?" Leo cried and placed a hand on his face, his breathing still erratic and his hands trembling like crazy.

"It's freaking dark but..." Raph replied, and Leo can see his eyes still wide with shock. "All I saw is that it had _really_ long wet fricking hair."

"And it was very thin. Dude, it looked like that girl from the Grudge!" Mikey said, his eyes really wide.

"And when you pointed the flashlight at it while you were running, it was running at you too. Like, _really_ fast." Donnie told him worriedly.

"Had its hands up and everything like it was trying to grab your face!" Mikey added in fright.

"But I don't get it. Why didn't I see anything...?" Leo trailed off and turned to look back the way he came.

Why the heck didn't he see anything? And why didn't she followed him out anymore? She was obviously capable of opening doors if she got in there.

"I don't know, but I suggest that we get out of here right now." Donnie said.

"I second the motion!" Mikey yelled, holding his hand up high. But then, the shaky smile dropped from his face abruptly and his look suddenly changed into one of horror. "What the-!?"

"What?" All three of them asked him urgently. Something was bothering poor Mikey, because his screen shook terribly like he might suddenly drop the device and run like crazy.

"I-I don't know where I am!"

Leo sighed in relief, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that there's something more. "Don't worry Mikey, I'm pretty lost too."

But Mikey's eyes told him a different story. "No, I mean I don't know how the heck I got here! I didn't walk or anything, I'm pretty sure of that!" He whimpered. "Someone brought me here! Leo!"

Leo saw Raph look around him too, and what he probably saw made him turn pale considerably and curse rougher than a sailor. They all cringed at the torrent of words erupting from his mouth.

_"Why am I in a kitchen?!"_

Leo's mouth dropped open. "What? What do you mean?"

"Dude, I'm in a freaking kitchen! I'm in the hallway last I checked!" Raph's eyes were wide like crazy.

"I'm lost too. This is _not_ the path I'm taking earlier. I'm sure of it." Donnie said, silently panicking.

"Wait, just bring out your trackers and let's get out of here." Leo commanded and brought out his own shell cell.

But it won't work. All he saw was a fuzzy screen. Like there's no signal. He tapped it urgently, no luck.

"This is useless!" Raph growled and raised his hand like he was going to throw his phone away before thinking better of it and just pocketing it.

"We just have to find each other manually then." Leo said, trying to prevent his voice from quivering, but no one thankfully mentioned it. All of them knew it was a bad idea, with that thing in there and who knows what else. But they have no choice. "I'll come get you. We might just go around in circles if we tried to find each other at the same time. Maybe we're still on the same floor Donnie. Look around and tell me what you see."

"Umm..." Donnie looked around him, his eyes darting around uncertainly. "Well... there are three doors here as far as I can see... there's also a painting here that looks like it came from the old times. It kinda looks like Queen Elizabeth... Or any English Queen for that matter."

"Okay, I'll find you. Do NOT open the doors. You hear me?" Leo told him sternly. Donnie smiled shakily. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"And you two stay where you are okay? Do not move unless absolutely necessary. And if you see anything, DO NOT go towards it. In fact, stay away! Raph, I forbid you from engaging any invisible creature in a fight or whatever it is you're planning. I'll get you soon."

"I'm not planning anything. Just get in here quick Fearless and I'll probably _maybe_ sorta might not skewer their heads off for messing with us." Raph said, slamming his sai on the dirty kitchen counter for emphasis.

"Hurry up Leo, I'm scared!" Mikey told him. He looked almost pitiful standing in the middle of a pitch black hallway all alone. Leo looked at him sadly. "I promise Mikey. Stay there and don't be afraid. Okay? Do not open any doors, and do not end the calls."

"But Leo! The battery will drain!" Donnie warned, and Leo's heart almost stopped for the millionth time that night. "We have to conserve it. The flashlights as well!"

"But I don't want to be all alone!" Mikey whimpered.

"Yeah! Do you think I want to stare at these freaking knives that looked like it came out of a horror movie forever?!" Raph asked angrily and flipped the T-Pad over to show them a row of huge rusty butcher knives they use to hack into someone's body parts in the movies hanging on the kitchen walls.

"But we have no choice! What if we have to call someone for help and the battery's already drained? We should save it!" Donnie protested.

"Donnie's right." Leo cut in before the argument got any further. "But at the first sign of anything unusual, call us okay?"

"Got it." Donnie said before his screen went black.

"Oh to heck with it. Be careful." Raph told him before his screen went dark too.

Leo last looked at Mikey's face in the screen, the only one remaining. His eyes looked very panicked, wild, and terrified. He was obviously more frightened to death than he was. Leo knew Mikey was deathly scared of ghosts, and just seeing a real one might have completely shocked him. "Everything's gonna be alright Mikey. I promise. Stay there okay? I'll come get you. Knock out any of those creatures with your nunchucks if they got near, okay?"

Mikey gulped and nodded. His eyes were pleading with him, but his voice was determined. "Go get them Leo, I'll be alright." Leo wasn't sure if he was referring to their brothers, or the ghosts, but either way he was proud of him for being so brave.

"I'll come for you bro." Leo promised and finally cut off the communication screen, Mikey's face the last thing he saw before everything went pitch black.


	5. Chapter 5

Raphael slammed the T-Pad down the dirty kitchen counter hard after ending the call, his eyes darting around for any sign of that thing they saw in the bathroom earlier. Good god, that was NOT normal at all. Anymore of this and he'll freak out himself. He couldn't understand how Leo can stand being that calm earlier when he was the one with that thing in the room. Raph was just watching the events in the device and he was scared as hell.

 

**~oOo~**

 

**FLASHBACK:**

_Raph was standing in the middle of the hallway, walking silently in the dark while he was watching the video feed of the others talking to each other loudly. Mikey suddenly yelled and he cringed when the sound reverberated out of the device and across the halls. Couldn't they just explore this dark mansion like the NINJAS they are?_

_Leo just told them that he was checking out a door that led to a bedroom. Raph walked across a lot of doors earlier himself. He debated to explore them or not of course, but finally decided not to because he wouldn't get anything in return. Leo wouldn't even add up their allowances. He would rather wander these halls forever until the time limit's up. He's lazy that way._

_"...There's also a bathroom in here." Leo offhandedly told them on the device as they watched him wander around. Leo was exploring the bedrooms calmly, like he was showing off that he wasn't scared to do so. Well damn._

"NO! _Not the bathroom!" Mikey wailed like the drama queen he is. Raph was about to tell him off for being so loud, but they were all caught unprepared when Leo's face on the screen was abruptly replaced by a view of a pitch black bathroom._

_Eww. Raph did NOT need a look of that. He could smell it just by looking at it. And it looked like crap. Dirty tiles, probably a smelly toilet... but then Raph noticed there was something in there. He frowned and squinted. It looks like a mass of black strings occasionally shifting. If those were spiders, he would smack Leo for giving him a look of that._

_But then, a quick flash of the light from a clueless Leo revealed something entirely freaking different. It was a goddamn girl standing by the sink, hunched back facing them. The black strings earlier revealing themselves to be impossibly long strands of wet black hair._

_Raph was first confused. Why did Leo enter that room and walked around all casual when there's clearly a girl in there?_

THAT'S _when he remembered that they're in a freaking abandoned house, and there's no way there's a girl still living there._

_Mikey screamed bloody murder and Raph knew immediately that he came to the same conclusion as well. Donnie's face went pale and they both stared at each other in complete shock._

_That's no spider._

_Then Leo laughed and their view of it was replaced by his face again. "I'm sorry I'm sorry. But that was just too funny."_

_Raph just stared at him in shock. Leo couldn't see it! If he can, he would've slipped out of there lightning fast that that thing wouldn't even notice. Or maybe he would slice it to bits with his katana without a second thought. But this? He probably didn't even know that he was standing right next to something unknown._

_He saw Leo frown when they still didn't respond and he called worriedly. "Mikey? Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you. That was just a joke."_

_Raph then noticed Donnie send him a horrified look that basically screams 'I-don't-know-what-the-heck-is-going-on-but-I-know-he-needs-to-get-out-of-there-immediately!' look. Leo was still clueless. So what's that supposed to mean? That the girl's invisible? Raph wanted to yell at Leo to get out of there but his voice wouldn't work._

_"You... you...!" Someone spoke, and Raph was surprised to see that it was Mikey, the least likely of them to speak at a situation like this. (He's afraid of anything paranormal)._

_Though it was still obvious that Mikey's absolutely terrified judging by how his mouth was opening and closing like a fish._

_Leo just stared at him. "I what?"_

_It seems Mikey's voice was enough to snap them out of it, because Don spoke next. "Y-You mean you can't..."_

_Leo knitted his eyeridges. "I can't what?" The poor guy looked really confused._

_"T-The..." Raph can feel his own eyes go wide. Leo's back was facing the bathroom, so they got a clear view of the thing inside. He watched it shuffle awkwardly, its limbs snapping like it was having trouble moving, its long hair hanging everywhere, dripping wet. It looked like freaking Sadako! Except it's wearing a nightgown. Do all ghosts wear nightgowns?_

_"The what?!" Leo cut off his thoughts, looking extremely exasperated._

_"In the b-bathroom..." Donnie finally said, pointing a trembling finger behind Leo. (Good thing too, because he's afraid that Leo would finally crack from impatience)_

_They watched Leo turn to look at the open bathroom door. But there was still no reaction from him even though he was already facing it. Raph's heart thumped madly when he realized that Leo would be in_ DEEP _trouble if that thing noticed him._

_"What about it? Are you all freaked out because it's the first time you saw a dark bathroom?" He asked them, obviously confused at their reactions. Donnie bit his lip in panic, and Mikey's mouth was still opening and closing, but he can't seem to say a word. So Raph did it himself._

_"No! Can't... Can't you see it?!" He yelled at him and he watched Leo turn fast in shock to look at the bathroom again. If the situation wasn't so serious it would've been funny. He can almost hear Leo's neck crack all the way from here._

_Dang it, joking aside, he was right in front of it! But Leo just looked at him again like HE was crazy._

_"Are you guys playing a joke on me? Because if so this is NOT funny." He scolded them and Raph almost threw the device against the wall at Leo's cluelessness. But now that he can think about it, it's not Leo's fault that he suspected them. Raph's attitude earlier and his excitement to hear Leo scream was to blame. And now he might get his wish._

_He saw Donnie shake his head quickly, trying to convince Leo before it's too late. Already, the girl inside was sniffing the air, as if trying to smell Leo. "Leo.. there IS something. I swear. Get out of there before it sees you!"_

_Damn it, move already or he'll drag him out himself! Raph gritted his teeth and almost yelled at him again before he saw Leo finally turn and walk towards the door, but it looked like he was just mocking them or playing along judging by how slow he moved. Donnie and Mikey were still looking urgent, but at least Leo listened to them at last._

_But his brother hadn't even moved much before they saw the thing snap its head back to look at them, face half hidden in the darkness. Mikey whimpered and Donnie was frozen in shock. "It... It saw you... IT SAW YOU!"_

_"Holy crap Leo! RUN!" Raph shouted just as the thing turned around fast and stared straight at them and through the device. Raph's hands grew clammy and he almost dropped the T-Pad._

_Why did he suddenly not feel so well?_

_Raph saw Leo finally realize the urgency and the danger in his situation and ran._

_Leo's screen was blurred and staticky as he kept running, so they can only know that he's still okay judging by his harsh breaths as he struggled to get away. Raph's knuckles slowly turned white as he squeezed the life out of Donnie's invention in worry. Then, Leo's screen went kind of steady, (as steady as it can be while its owner is running like hell) they saw Leo shine the flashlight behind him, just in time for them to see the thing lunge at him, hands outstretched like it was trying to grab Leo's head and rip it from his shoulder. Raph cried out in shock and Mikey screamed._

_"Quick! It's gaining on you!" Donnie yelled and they saw Leo throw any caution and suspicion out of the window. He leaped through the freaking door and slammed it shut, seconds before the door banged like something heavy collided with it. But then the screen moved like crazy again as Leo started to run the hell away from there. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mansion, Raph tried to calm his thundering heart._

_Raph waited in suspense for any sign that Leo was alright. His screen was still full of static so he took that moment to stare at the others, sending them horror-filled looks, which they gave him in return. Even Donnie, their resident science geek, couldn't explain the events and was obviously scared to death as well._

_Abruptly, Leo's screen stopped moving and his face appeared again, sweaty, panicked, and oddly, worried. "Are you all okay?" He suddenly asked them. Raph gaped at him, he's the one in danger and he asked THEM if they're okay?!_

_"Dude, you're the one who almost died and got kidnapped by the ghost chick and you're asking US if we're okay?!" Mikey asked in disbelief. Exactly his thoughts._

_"You really need to sort out your priorities." Donnie grimaced._

_"Priorities?" Leo asked them all, his voice a little high-pitched and obviously freaked out. Raph can't blame him. Even HE was panicked. And he was at the other side of the screen. "Alright then, my first priority is to ask you all: What the hell WAS that thing!?" Leo asked them all in horror._

_"You mean you really didn't see it?" Donnie asked him again, obviously making sure._

_"No okay?! So would you please tell me already?" Leo cried impatiently._

_Raph and the others exchanged looks, telling each other to speak up before Leo dies in there from worry or something. Unfortunately, Raph lost the staring contest, (Donnie gave him his most intense glare and Mikey just sent him a kicked-puppy glance which immediately melted Raph's stone heart.) He glanced at Leo's face on the screen uneasily, knowing that this piece of info will freak Leo out even more._

_"It's freaking dark but..." Raph finally replied after a moment of silence. "All I know is that it had REALLY long wet fricking hair."_

_Okay, that's not much info. But how the heck do you even explain a ghost girl thing that suddenly popped out of nowhere anyway!?_

_"And it was very thin. Dude, it looked like that girl from the Grudge!" Mikey said, his eyes really wide. Raph frowned, no it doesn't. It looked like that thing from the Ring!_

_"And when you pointed the flashlight at it while you were running, it was running at you too. Like, REALLY fast." Donnie told him._

_"Had its hands up and everything like it was trying to grab your face!" Mikey yelled._

_"But I don't get it. Why didn't I see anything...?" Leo's voice trailed off as he checked over his shoulder again for any sign of it._

_"I don't know, but I suggest that we get out of here right now." Donnie told them, finally recovering his senses. Raph couldn't agree more._

_"I second the motion!" Mikey yelled, holding his hand up high. But then he glanced around him and his hand and smile abruptly dropped. Raph knitted his eyeridges in worry at Mikey's horror-filled expression. "What the-!?"_

_Raph immediately became worried and he asked urgently along with the others. "What?"_

_"I-I don't know where I am!"_

_Raph raised an eyebrow at him. They all don't know where they are, so what's he talking about?_

_"Don't worry Mikey, I'm pretty lost too." Leo assured him._

_But Mikey's eyes told them a different story. "No, I mean I don't know how the heck I got here! I didn't walk or anything, I'm pretty sure of that!" He whimpered. "Someone brought me here! Leo!"_

_The urgency and fright in Mikey's tone urged Raph to look around him too, and what he saw made his heart stop._

_But apparently, his heart can stop but his mouth won't. All his brothers visibly cringed when he delivered them the foulest words ever told through an Ipad. (That should be a world record). Even in his mind, he was on full-time panic mode._

'Shell shell shell SHOOT! What the frick?! Where the heck is he? How the fricking hell did he get there?! Who-?!'

_"Why am I in a kitchen?!" He finally spluttered after his mini internal fit._

_Raph saw Leo's jaw drop open. "What do you mean?"_

_"Dude, I'm in a fricking kitchen! I'm in the hallway last I checked!" No freaking way this is happening. How did he even get here without knowing it?! Did he fricking teleported?!_

_"I'm lost too. This is not the path I'm taking earlier. I'm sure of it." Donnie told them, his eyes betraying the calmness his face possessed._

_"Wait, just bring out your trackers and let's get out of here." Leo commanded and brought out his shell cell. Raph immediately obeyed and opened his cell's lockscreen. What he saw made his heart stop for the hundredth time that night._

_A blank screen._

_A F***ING blank screen._

_"What. The. Hell?" Raph muttered in shock and started tapping it. When it still wouldn't turn on, he started lightly banging it on the kitchen counter. Nothing. He was sure he charged it that morning. Why in seven hells did it decide to stop working NOW?!_

_"This is useless!" Raph growled and raised his hand with the cell in it, planning to throw it away. But Donnie's irritated look made him think better of it and just stuffed it hard in his belt._

_"We just have to find each other manually then." Leo said, his voice still quivering, but his face determined. 'Whatever plan you have Fearless, as long as it gets us out of there, is welcome.'_

_"I'll come get you. We might just go around in circles if we tried to find each other at the same time." Leo told them. "Maybe we're still in the same floor Donnie. Where are you?"_

_"Umm..." Don looked around him, his eyes darting around uncertainly. "Well... there are three doors here as far as I can see... there's also a painting here that looks like it's from the old times. It kinda looks like Queen Elizabeth... Or any English Queen for that matter. I'm sure you know what they look like."_

_"Okay, I'll find you. DO NOT open the doors. You hear me?" Leo told him sternly. Donnie smiled at him shakily. "I wouldn't dream of it."_

_Leo glanced at him and Mikey. "And you two stay where you are okay? Do not move unless absolutely necessary. And if you see anything, DO NOT go towards it. In fact, stay away! Raph, I forbid you from engaging it in a fight or whatever it is you're planning. I'll get you soon."_

_"I'm not planning anything. Just get in here quick Fearless and I'll probably maybe sorta might not skewer their heads off for messing with us." Raph smirked as he brought out his sai and slammed it down the kitchen counter, showing that he was, for once, serious. He won't budge here even when one of those Sadako girls come for him. If they attack him, he'll hack at it with his bare hands and skewer the pieces with his sais._

_"Hurry up Leo, I'm scared!" Mikey whimpered and Raph almost ran off to find him himself when he saw the state Mikey was in. All of them knew that their little bro was deathly scared of ghosts. And now that there's a real one, he couldn't imagine what Mikey must feel right now. Leo gazed at him sadly. "I promise Mikey. Stay there and don't be afraid. Okay? Do not open any doors, and do not end the calls."_

_"But Leo! The battery will drain!" Donnie warned and Raph glanced at him in shock. "We have to conserve it. The flashlights as well!"_

_"But I don't want to be all alone!" Mikey whimpered pitifully._

_"Yeah! Do you think I want to stare at these freaking knives that looked like it came out of a horror movie forever?!" Raph asked angrily and flipped the fricking device over to show them the row of huge rusty butcher knives that were staring at him the whole time he was calling them. It was freaking him out!_

_"But we have no choice! What if we have to call someone for help and the battery's already drained? We should conserve it!" Donnie protested._

_"Donnie's right." Leo cut in before Raph could retort. "But at the first sign of anything unusual, call us okay?"_

_"Got it." Donnie said and his screen went black._

_Raph finally sighed in defeat and glared at the butcher knives with so much hate. "Oh to heck with it. Be careful." Raph told Leo before he turned the call off._

 

**~oOo~**

 

So now he is stuck here, inside a dark kitchen with nothing but the butcher knives for company. But at least this is better than getting stuck in the middle of a dark hallway filled with doors like Mikey and Donnie where anything can come for him in all directions. Here he would only worry for something coming through the only door in the room. Or maybe the sink. Don't ghosts come out of the sink too? Or is it the toilet? Ugh whatever, sink or not, they'll be double dead if they messed with him.

He occasionally pointed the beam of the flashlight around him just in case there are some creatures lurking around. He didn't find any, but that just made him more suspicious.

Because, what if the only way they could see those things is on cam? That would suck so bad.

Wait a minute...

There's that sound again. The one he heard just after he entered the house for the first time. Raph gripped his sai hard and pointed the flashlight towards the door. Something's outside.

Raph waited a few more minutes. He soon frowned, no sound came again. He must be getting crazy. He shook his head and glanced at his flashlight, the beam the only thing separating him from the darkness of the place.

What if the light runs out? What's gonna happen to him? He knows there's two flashlights and even extra batteries, but there's no telling how long it would take for them to find each other again. What if the light runs out? He's freaking screwed.

Raph then finally decided to turn off the flashlight, seeing as he wasn't doing anything productive at the moment, besides staring at the knives. He took a deep breath, and clicked it off. The place immediately turned pitch black and he almost flinched in surprise before catching himself.

Quit being a scaredy cat Raphael and be done with it already!

He rested his shell at the what he suspected as the counter and leaned, eyes still darting around and ears pricked for any signs of something unusual.

Damn it all, the house was as silent as a rock! Usually, he wouldn't mind it, but he'd go crazy if he didn't hear anything right bloody no-!

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

This time, Raph REALLY did jump out of his skin and yelped in surprise. He turned to look at the door where the noise came from and got into a battle stance. The hell was that scream?! It scared the living bejoozes out of him! (Not that he'll admit it)

Well whatever it is, he won't let something get to him too.

"Bring it on _freaks."_


	6. Chapter 6

Mikey's knees won't stop shaking.

Yep. Not a bad start to a night full of terrors huh?

But what could he do?! He was freaking out like crazy! Anyone would feel like that if they were suddenly teleported and stuck in a mysterious dark corridor where any ghost can appear through a lot of doors and grab him. The place feels _really_ weird, like it's sending off vibes telling him he doesn't belong here. (Which _is_ kinda true) And the dark doesn't feel comfortable at all. Usually, he would feel one with the shadows, (duhh, he's a ninja!) but right now, it felt like the darkness is spewing him out. He's dead scared. No pun intended.

He tried to calm himself of course, but nothing changed. He's still panicking. He deeply regrets bringing them here in this stupid place, and now one freaky ghost almost got Leo! It really frightened him to death!

Mikey leaned on the wall to better see everything around him, and to better stabilize and calm himself. He's in the middle of a dark hallway where the only way he could see is from a small beam from his flashlight. He can sense that there're a LOT of doors on either side of him, probably containing ghosts like that too. He tried to breathe quietly, and closed his eyes. Yeah, that's what he'll do while he's waiting to be rescued. Close his eyes and play dead. Maybe it'll work for ghosts the same way it does to bears?

Nah, that was just pushing his nonexistent luck. But he's gonna try anyway.

He slowly sat down in a meditative position as quietly as he can. Maybe he can meditate as well while waiting? He tried sitting in a lotus position and remained there for a few minutes. _Ohhhhhh yeeeaaahhh..._ muuuuch better...

 _"Gah!"_ He cried out and stood up so fast he probably left his guts on the floor. He hastily pointed the beam of light towards the corridor in his left. He _knew_ that 'playing dead thing' was a bad idea! He just heard someone walking in there. But the footsteps were soft and cautious. If not for the enhanced hearing he honed from all his training, he would never have caught it. He stared at the hallway hard, his body tense and ready to bolt if necessary. When...

"Mikey?"

He squeaked. The ghost knows his name?! He tried to slip out of there and run for it, nevermind what Leo said. That. Ghost. Knows. His. _Freaking_. NAME! But before he could make a break for it, the voice called again.

"Mikey? Hey, I know you're there."

His eyes were open so wide now that it would probably pop out of its sockets and fall to the floor.

"Hey bro, answer me, are you alright? Did something get to you?"

Wait a minute... that voice.. he recognizes that voice.

"Leo?" Mikey called hesitantly. But wait, Leo's in the second floor right? Is that really him, or did Mikey himself somehow ended up in the second floor?

"Yeah Mikey, it's me. Wait for me, I can see your light." The footsteps were close now. Mikey quickly turned off his light.

"Leo... where's your flashlight? Why can't I see you?" Mikey called, still suspicious. Hey, he watched a lot of horror movies, he knows stuff.

"I dropped it when something chased me again earlier. I only have the T-Pad now."

"Wait, I'll call you." Mikey said and tried to press Leo's button while backing away slowly.

"Don't. It's not necessary cause I'm here already, aren't I? Just stay calm, I'll come to you." The steps were so near now.

"Okay." Mikey said but pressed the button anyway. The screen was staticky for a moment before Leo's face finally made it on screen.

"Mikey? What is it?" Leo said and Mikey heard the footsteps stop. It's probably a few meters from him now.

"Leo, did you drop your flashlight anytime earlier?" Mikey asked cautiously, eyes still staring at the hall.

"..." It took a few moments for Leo to reply, and Mikey grew worried. Maybe he did drop it and was embarrassed to tell him or something. So does that mean the one coming to him is the real Leo?

"Yeah, I did. I told you earlier didn't I?" Leo told him and Mikey sighed in relief. "Okay, good. For a moment there I thought you-"

"What are you talking about? I haven't said anything yet." Leo's face frowned at him from the screen. Mikey stared confused. "But you just told me you did."

"Of course not. It's right here, see?" Leo said and brought up his lit flashlight to the screen. Mikey's heart stopped and he went dead silent.

_Oh no..._

Leo frowned. "Mikey? What's going on?"

"Can you see anything?" Mikey asked abruptly and held up the T-Pad in the direction of that hallway with sweaty and trembling hands.

"..."

"No, it's dark. Where is YOUR flashlight?"

"Leo, listen to me." Mikey whispered, his voice strangely calm and serious. "Someone's imitating your voice and it's just a few meters in front of me. Can you see anything or not?"

His whole body trembled as he waited for Leo's response. The thing imitating Leo's voice hasn't moved yet, or else Mikey would've heard it. But he wouldn't be so sure, ghosts can teleport right? It might be right behind him now for all he knew.

"No one's there Mikey." Leo finally responded, his expression very worried and anxious. "But I believe you. Don't turn on your light. Get out of there Mike. Nevermind what I said, get the hell out of there now!" He ordered and Mikey instantly took off in a run.

Bad thing is, he immediately heard footsteps pounding towards him too and he urgently told Leo, "Leo, it's following me! What do I do?!"

 _ **-'MIIIIIIKKKKEEEYYY!'-**_ The voice earlier roared and Mikey jumped at the ferocity and tone of it. It sounded a lot like a thousand nails scratching at a chalkboard. No wait, it sounded more like forks and knives screeching on a glass plate.

And judging from Leo's face, he heard it too.

"Run away Mikey. RUN!" The real Leo yelled and Mikey took off in his top speed at what he thinks is the right hallway, but without his flashlight, it's hard to tell. With his luck, he might accidentally bonk his head against the wall and faint. Which wasn't a comforting thought AT ALL. Mikey was the fastest of his brothers, so he was confident that he can outrun the thing. But he was still scared as hell.

"Dude, I'm freaking out, I'M FREAKING OUT!" He yelled in blind panic.

Leo looked pale and terrified for him, but both of them knew that there was nothing he can do.

Mikey would have to face this alone.

Mikey looked at Leo's face in the screen again, his face scared but still set on his decision that's probably a bit stupid. "Leo... I'll call you later. If I didn't, then you know why. A ghost bashed my head in." He said and quickly turned off the call before Leo can respond and stuffed the T-Pad in his belt. He can't do anything to help him anyway and the device is just going to get in his way. Mikey could already hear it beeping again, but he ignored the incoming call and kept running.

He's still dashing blindly through a pitch black corridor and it looked really endless. Did the freaking house just expanded without his knowledge?! He really didn't know what went into his mind when he turned off the call, but he's going to try not to regret it.

"Hey!" Mikey called out behind him, his usual obnoxiousness kicking in. "Why're you imitating my brother's voice? Don't you know I know him well enough not to be tricked by you!?"

The thing responded with a crash sound and he abruptly ran faster. _Okaaaay_ , maybe insulting it was a pretty bad idea...

If not for his trained ninja senses, Mikey would've already crashed his head on the wall and bled to death. He skidded to a stop just before he hit the wall and started feeling around, looking for the right direction again. Mikey's eyes darted everywhere, looking for a place to go. He can't see anything. He's doomed!

He heard another crash sound, this one closer, that he immediately darted to the left without thinking, just as long as he can put a lot of distance between him and that thing...

Then, he heard a very loud CRASH, this one unexpectedly sounded right next to his ear. And the chaos started.

Mikey suddenly felt something collide heavily with him that the force sent him rocketing back towards the very wall he's been trying to avoid earlier. His body slammed painfully against it, his right arm bruised and probably bloody from receiving the impact. He suddenly felt something grab his carapace roughly and the next, he was already skidding down the floor and abruptly banged his head against the opposite wall, making him black out for a second. But Mikey still hadn't recovered yet when he landed and unintentionally placed his whole weight yet again on his already battered right arm. He gasped in pain when a cracking sound echoed in the air. Mikey felt really shocked, confused, hurt, and disoriented, and his world was spinning. It felt like a truck and a grand piano both simultaneously just slammed into him for the heck of it, but when he looked around he there was nothing there that could've caused him pain. He was about to stand up and run again when he felt something heavy suddenly land on his plastron that it pinned him down on the floor. What the heck?! Did it catch up to him?! But he was in his top speed! Even his brothers can't reach him that fast! He grabbed for his nunchucks to bash it away from him, but before he could, hands suddenly went to his throat and he found himself being choked with surprising strength. He coughed and cried out in pain. He can't breathe!

"A- _Argh!_ G-Get o-of-off!" He gasped and tried kicking it off but it's obvious he's just kicking thin air. But the hands around his neck felt so real. And horrifyingly enough, it felt three-fingered, like their own fingers.

 _ **-'Miiikkkeeeyyy...'-**_ Leo's voice playfully breathed next to his ear and he choked back a scream.

Mikey thrashed and clawed at the fingers around his neck, but he was only dealing damage to his own throat. He can't breathe! _He can't...!_

_**-'Plaaaaayyy...'-** _

He screamed and saw his vision darken. N- _No!_ Breathe...! He tried gasping but no air is rushing in. He could only listen helplessly as the thing giggled and squeezed his throat like plastic. He felt the creature lean heavily against his plastron, like it was putting his whole weight on him. It's heavy like crazy! He didn't have enough strength to lift it. Raph probably could, but he can't. He's more on speed for god's sake!

Is this how he was going to die?

His thrashes and struggles were slowly weakening and before he could realize what was happening, his eyes were already shutting in defeat and he felt his body finally collapse under the pressure. His chest hurt, his throat hurt, even his arm was in its very own hell! It's literally slowly squeezing the life out of him. And he can't put a stop to it at all.

_Someone... Anyone! Please... H-Help..!_

"MIIIKKKEEEYYY!"

His eyes opened a slit in surprise at the sound. But he can't see anything, it's so dark... where did his flashlight go again?

Someone screamed and the heavy thing on his plastron was gone. He can breathe now. He gasped and coughed hard. What happened?

Now he felt himself being carried. Or is it dragged? He still can't see anything nor move... didn't know where's the floor and the ceiling... he felt so helpless.

But then... "Mikey? Bro, are you alright?"

Mikey's eyes snapped open and he felt himself move away lightning speed from the voice. His vision is still dark, but he knows that that thing is back and is probably here to finish the job.

"N- _No!_ Stay away, STAY AWAY!" He cried and thrashed from that thing's grip. But it won't budge!

"Hey, stop! Mikey, it's me!"

" _No!_ I know your tricks! Stay away from me! SHUT UP!"

"Mikey! Stop! What's wrong with you!?"

"NO! Stop using my brother's voice! I don't want to listen anymore! I don't want to listen... I don't...!" he felt his eyes tearing up and he scooted away even more. "Shut up shut up shut up!" His vision was slowly returning now, but he still can't see anything clearly. "I want my brothers.. Get away!"

He felt the thing release him and he suddenly felt sick. Mikey crawled away and weakly hugged his knees and rocked his body like a crib, eyes still wet from tears. He wants to go home! He wants his brothers! He wants to forget everything that happened! "I'm scared okay?! There, I said it! So please just leave me alone! Stop using my brother's voices to kill me! _Stop it!_ "

Unexpectedly, he felt arms wrap around him. He screamed in shock and thrashed wildly, before realizing that it's HUGGING him. He stopped dead when he learned this, just in time for his vision to return. He slowly looked up to see the flashlight beam shining against the face of...

" _R-Raph?_ " Mikey whimpered. He felt his head being buried against a shoulder and the arms around him went tighter.

"I'm sorry for not coming soon Mikey. I'm _so sorry!_ " Raph cried and hugged him tight, afraid to let go. "I will _never_ forgive them for hurting you! No... not hurt. You almost f***ing _died!_ If I hadn't opened the goddamn kitchen door I _never_ would have seen you!"

Mikey felt tears stream down his face. He wrapped his arms around Raph too.

"R- _Raph!_ " Mikey cried. "I was so s-scared. I thought I was g-gonna die!" It was true. The ghost was squeezing his throat to death, and worst of all, it used Leo's voice the whole time. It felt like Leo himself was killing him, his own brother! He felt sick at the experience, and he's scared that he would never get over it, especially if he saw the real Leo again.

"I know... I know. But you're safe now. I won't let _any_ of those bastards touch you again!" Raph promised fiercely and Mikey, in his whole time spent in this place, finally felt safe. He leaned towards Raph in relief and weakly closed his eyes.

He's safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Or so they thought. xD
> 
> Please comment guys!


	7. Chapter 7

...

_Stupid Mikey..._

_Stupid Raph..._

_Stupid house..._

_Stupid Leo..._

Donnie was currently leaning his shell against the wall in the middle of the hallway while cursing his siblings, bo staff at the ready just in case. He didn't dare go to one of the rooms around him for fear that there would be a repeat of that event earlier. He also turned off his flashlight beforehand to conserve the batteries, but even _he_ had to admit that he's nervous at being stuck here in the middle of nowhere. To add to the creepy factor, he was also facing that weird portrait of some English Queen that looked like it was thousands of years old. At times, he could even feel those painted eyes staring at him.

Okay, that thought's _really_ not helping his nervousness. Besides, it's just a freaky painting. Don groaned, that's it, he is officially going nuts. When he gets out of here, he would personally hunt Mikey and Raph down and clonk them in the head for bringing him up to this.

Still... Donnie had to admit that this is all very curious. He still can't get that image of the girl with long hair out of his mind. Just like what Mikey said, she looked like something straight out of a horror movie. He could still remember clearly those long strands of wet hair glistening in the light, the pair of ghastly hands reaching out to grab Leo... and her eyes.

Yes, Donnie saw her eyes, and it seems like he's the only one to do so. Maybe Raph and Mikey simply weren't paying much attention or it was probably because of Donnie's observant eyes as the family doctor, either way Donnie was very glad they hadn't. It's not really what you would call presentable. From what he could remember, he couldn't see her left eye because it was completely covered with her hair. But he had no trouble seeing the other one. And it was horrible.

Her right eye was practically sickening to look at. The eye was sunken so deep in her head you could actually see some of the insides of the eye socket. It looked like someone pushed two fingers in and buried her eye further in her head. Another thing was that that one eye was horribly decayed and rotten. No other way to put it. Any further observation probably wouldn't agree with your stomach. It really horrified Don himself. And HE was a doctor who worked on bloody wounds everyday.

Of course, he neglected mentioning it to the others. It was pointless to do so. And another thing was he wanted them to maintain their innocent minds. Okay, maybe not Leo and Raph. Those two know violence and gore too much, what with their chosen weapons. If Donnie hadn't been a doctor, he would probably still be innocent. Well, too late for that thought.

But Mikey's a different story. Don wanted to keep him from the harshness and danger of real life. They all have their own ways to do it. In fact, it was one of the very few things they all agree about. Leo's was to keep Mikey from going too far in battle and end up accidentally killing someone. Leo usually handles most of their opponents to keep them all from the worst, much to Raph's irritation.

Raph's way was simple. He would keep Mikey from seeing any gore-filled movies. Usually, it doesn't work. Mikey has too sneaky hands for his own good.

Don's way was to keep Mikey from going to the lab whenever one of them is badly injured. He allows Mikey entry when it's just the usual scrapes, bruises, and deep cuts. But when it comes to things like a rusty pipe buried in Raph shoulder, a sword sticking out of Leo's side, or third degree burnt skin from some random explosion, he locks Mikey out the lab unless he really needs help, or _he's_ the one injured.

Of course, knowing Mikey, those usually doesn't work. Mikey still saw all those things despite their efforts, but it comforts them all to think that he's still an innocent little kid with an innocent little mind.

Okay, getting out of track. Back to that thing that Leo can't see but they can all see. He refused to call it a ghost. Or any other paranormal creature. He's still a man of science after all. He has beliefs and theories he intend to follow until there is sufficient evidence that counteracts it. And that includes the idea of ghosts.

Was it possible it's just some kind of mannequin?

 _A mannequin running and can turn invisible?_ He was DEFINITELY going crazy.

And now another thing he couldn't explain, _how_ in the world did he even end up in this hallway?! Was it possible he was walking the whole time? Yeah, that must be the only explanation. He was walking while he was talking to the others and somehow ended up here. That's more believable than him teleporting or the house changing right?

He sighed and twirled his bo staff. He's bored, and with all the gadgets off and out of commission, he really has nothing much to-

Wait a second.

He leaned his staff against the wall and proceeded to bring out the T-pad and the shellcell from his duffle bag. He just remembered that he was the tech genius here, so he should find out what's wrong with his own gadgets. Damn, he was becoming a bit of an air-head...

Okay, so why isn't the shellcell working, while the T-pad is perfectly fine? He opened the shellcell once again, and like earlier, the screen was buzzing and staticking. He tried clicking a few buttons, but nothing happened. In fact, it looks like the static only worsened. He then opened the T-Pad next, and it showed him a completely working screen. Don frowned, why is the shellcell not working?! He stuffed the T-Pad in his bag again and pulled out some screwdrivers. He figured that while he was waiting for Leo, he would try to fix this thing so he can track the others and go home.

He sure hopes it works or else it would probably be hours before they find each other again.

**~oOo~**

Leo immediately took off running after Mikey abruptly ended the call. His little brother was in danger! And worse, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary when Mikey showed him the dark corridor earlier. He was supposed to see the creature tormenting his brother, so why wasn't it there?!

What if he can't see the ghosts or whatever those things are like his brothers? How will he fight them then?

He tried clicking Mikey's button several times but Mikey's face just wouldn't appear on the screen. His brother was ignoring him. Granted, he was running like crazy from whatever was in the dark, but still!

Leo almost threw the T-Pad down on the floor and stomped on it in frustration. What was Mikey thinking, ending the call like that? Leo could've helped him somehow!

 _Or maybe you would've just gotten in his way._ A tiny voice in his head whispered. _You would've distracted him more than helped him._

"Of course not!" Leo yelled and he winced slightly when his voice echoed in the darkness along with the soft pad of his footsteps. If Mikey hadn't turned off the device, at least then Leo would know what's going on over there. But here, he's totally clueless! He has no idea where he's going, he's just running around blindly, hoping that he would stumble upon his brothers along the way.

The location of his brothers are pretty hard to find. He knew that Raph is in a kitchen with those butcher knives. Out of all three of them, Raph was probably in the safest location in the house. A kitchen's much better than getting stuck in the middle of a corridor where anything can come at them from any direction like two of his poor younger brothers. And now one was discovered and currently involved in a chase with something that's imitating _his_ own voice.

Leo involuntarily shuddered as he remembered that bit earlier. It was creepy hearing his own voice scream like that. He didn't even know his voice was capable of reaching that range. It's really a good thing they had these T-Pads for communication. If they only had their shellcells, Mikey would've never found out that the one imitating him was a fake. He may be caught right now or worse, dead.

Remind him to thank Don like crazy for his inventions after this.

Mikey's still not answering his calls. Leo was growing pale with worry as he ran. What if Mikey _had_ been caught?! What would those creatures do to him then?!

He shook a couple of disturbing thoughts out of his mind, and tried to focus on finding his brothers first.

He just hopes that he's not too late.

**~oOo~**

Don growled in frustration and resisted the urge to scream.

_Stupid shellcell!_

_Stupid mansion!_

_Stupid limited supplies!_

_Stupid mannequin ghosts!_

_Stupid bets!_

_Stupid life!_

He slumped on the wall defeated after working on the shellcell for two minutes. Usually he would've fixed those in a jiffy. But today, it's like something's preventing him from fixing it. And it frustrates him a lot!

Why the heck didn't he think of installing a tracking device on the freaking T-Pads again? That would've made his life tonight a whole lot easier.

"That is _it_. I frigging hate Halloween!" Don snapped at the painting. It just responded by turning its stern eyes on him. Don blinked, and the next thing he knew, he was backing away from it as fast as he could.

"Holy mother of God, did your eyes just freaking _MOVE?!_ " He spluttered in shock. Was that just his imagination? Tell him it was just his imagination!

The painting blinked.

Don gasped and he quickly snatched his bo staff from the wall and held it in front of him in an attack position. "No way! You just blinked!" This was NOT happening. Nuh-uh. He absolutely _refused_ to believe that this is another ghost or whatever the shell that thing is. Maybe it's just some kind of machine installed to creep out people coming here?

"That's right! You and that Sadako girl earlier were just machines right?" He asked the painting. "Maybe the owner thought to scare any ghost-buster-wannabe who comes here? I'm right aren't I?" He laughed nervously and tapped the painting with his bo.

The painting responded with a cruel grin.

Don felt his heart stop and he nearly dropped his staff.

_No machine could do that!_

Suddenly, it struck him that both the painting and the girl earlier were VERY real. Their intentions are not simply to frighten them. Their job is to kill. And more are coming for them.

"I got to tell the others. I got to go!" Don cried and took off running before the thing in the painting gets the chance to reveal itself completely, his neck crawling as he felt painted eyes burning against his shell.

But he didn't get far enough to avoid the attack.

" _Gah!_ Dammit! No! Let go!" He growled and struggled against the bonds holding his arms firmly in place. His bo staff was useless unless his arms were somehow freed. "Shell! Leo! Raph! Mikey!" He called desperately, even though he knew it was useless. Something tells him his brothers aren't near enough to hear him at all.

Don craned his neck to take a look at what was holding him. The first thing he saw was the painting still grinning at him silently. The second thing was the shadowy tendrils coming out behind the frame of the painting. He looked down at his bonds and noticed that he was being held by those same tendrils earlier. And more are coming to take him.

"Hell no, you won't get me that easily!" He yelled at it and struggled with all his might against the bonds. He contemplated biting into it, but that was probably stupid of him. These are no hands.

"Shit, no..." He cursed when he saw the tendrils getting nearer. He can't let himself get taken! Don tried reaching for the shurikens in his belt, his arm straining against his bonds to get the blasted thing. He almost laughed when his fingers closed on the object. He hastily examined the area around him and calculated the distance, like he usually does when throwing shurikens. Finally, with limited movement, he threw it as accurately as he can. He watched hopefully as four of his shurikens bounced from wall to wall, quickly finding their targets.

Don grinned triumphantly as one shuriken stabbed the tendril holding his right arm in place. Another completely cut off the bonds in his left. The third took care of a tendril trying to creep sneakily into his ankle, and the fourth, the most important one, pierced the part between the evil English Queen's eyes.

...

Honestly, he didn't know what _that_ would do. For all he knew, it would completely stop this madness. Or maybe it would make the English Queen madder than before.

Unfortunately, it was the latter.

Don cried out in surprise as something wrapped itself around his neck, binding it tight. The tendril holding his right arm also began moving, wrapping itself around his arm repeatedly, until the shuriken stuck in it pierced itself into his skin, as if revenge for what he did. Damn, why hadn't it cut this thing off in the first place?!

All of a sudden, a terrible ripping sound echoed around the place and Don watched with growing horror as the hole he created between the English Queen's eyes ripped open, completely cutting her face and grin in half. Like a horror movie, more shadowy tendrils crawled out from it like octopus tentacles and headed straight towards him with a vengeance, and Don couldn't do anything but stare and wait for it to approach.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Goddamn things..."_

Raphael currently stared in obvious hatred at their only link to the outside world. He studied every crack, every rotten splinter, he glowered at the peeling paint and the obvious signs of vandalism still visible despite the darkness of the place. He glared at the rusted knob, daring it to turn or twist even one goddamn inch. He kept glancing at the space below it, waiting for at least any indication that there is someone outside for him waiting to be pound to death.

No one's getting to Mikey without him finding out. Not when he's placing the door under intense scrutiny.

A low, pained moan made his head snap abruptly to the side, his gaze softening when it fell on the unconscious form of his youngest brother. He kept his flashlight on now and pointed at the ceiling for a wider range of light, not caring if he wasted the batteries. He knows perfectly well that Mikey wouldn't appreciate waking up to a pitch black room. He didn't want to make this any harder for him.

Another moan broke through the deafening silence, this one louder than the first, that Raph immediately turned his full attention on Mikey.

His little brother was fidgeting and groaning, beads of sweat trailing down the side of his face. He was obviously having a nightmare. Raph moved closer to the counter, or in other words, their makeshift bed, _(cause there was no way in hell Raph would even consider leaving him on the damn floor)._ He watched as Mikey continued to groan in pain, his eyeridges furrowed together in a deep frown and his breathing ragged. Raph scooted closer to him now, intent on calming him down the best he could, when he heard something that made him freeze.

_"Leo..."_

Raph's brow furrowed at that. What does Leo have to do with anything? He was just starting to place a calming hand on his shoulder when it happened.

Mikey cried out loud and began clawing at his throat, HARD.

"Holy-!" Raph cursed and grabbed both of Mikey's hands in an attempt to stop him. Already, the skin around his throat was beginning to turn redder than before. He gritted his teeth when Mikey wouldn't stop, his hands still somehow working its way up at his throat.

"Dammit Mikey, stop this! Wake up!" He yelled at him, but Mikey showed no signs of even hearing him and just continued moaning and groaning, his hands struggling to escape from his firm grip.

"No... stop! Don't! Leo!"

By now, Raph's hands and arms are working full-time to restrain Mikey, but even he can't keep it up. He hated to admit it, but Mikey is stronger than him right now. He didn't even know how that was even freaking possible, maybe Mikey IS stronger when he's asleep.

"Shell, Mikey! Wake the hell up! Stop this now!" He barked at him. Damn, this is getting worse. Mikey was now full-on thrashing on the countertop, his legs taking every opportunity to kick at him, his shell banging audibly on the counter as his groans of pain intensified. Mikey's hands were still itching their way up his throat, Raph's own grip barely stopping them from dealing some lasting damage. It seems Mikey wasn't even aware that he was using his injured arm, which would probably be very painful if he was awake. He was still crying out words occasionally, some of them not making any sense at all to the red-banded turtle.

"Stop! No... that hurts.. please, someone, help!"

One powerful kick to Raph's plastron finally did it.

"MIKEY, WAKE UP!" Raph roared and brought a hand up to slap him across the face, the sound of hand meeting cheek echoing in the room.

For a moment, no one spoke. The only sound was of Raph panting hard, tired in spite of himself, until the recent events caught up to him and he slumped across the counter.

 _'F**k, did I just DO that?!'_ He was pretty sure he looked like a deer-caught-in-the-headlights right now. His shocked gaze was frozen on Mikey's now limp form, barely breathing when he recalled what just happened and what he had just done.

He didn't even restrain himself... he poured all his strength into that slap and sent it straight to his little brother's cheek, slapping him so hard his head was completely flung to the side. He was plain horrified. Sure, he hit Mikey all the time, but all of those aren't even serious, the majority of them lacking strength and direct aim. This was the first hit he purposely did to Mikey with all his strength and frustration attached. And the mere thought almost made him sick.

The silence was deafening. Mikey stopped moving altogether, his hands no longer twitched and his breathing was reduced from ragged to slow, shuddering breaths. The only real sign that he even had a mental breakdown earlier was the freshly-made fingernail marks on his throat as opposed to the marks he made in his struggle outside the kitchen earlier, some blood only just making itself known. Raph hurriedly reached for his bandana, satisfied that the cloth would be clean enough to remove some of the blood, but still wary from causing infection. There was also that issue about his injured arm. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if it was just bruised or dislocated or just plain broken. He didn't even know how to treat one without possibly making it worse.

Damn, he's in one hell of a situation here. If only he knew someone who could help...

Wait a freakin minute. _Don!_

He almost slapped himself for being so stupid. For god's sake, how could he forget about freaking Don? Don the intelligent, Don the Wise, Don the medical turtle doctor, Don the technical repair guy, his brilliant younger brother, THAT Don!

Maybe Don can also help him with Mikey's breakdowns.

He hurriedly whipped out his T-Pad, grumbling curses under his breath as he waited for the call to connect. He shifted from foot to foot, his fingers gripping the device like everything depended on it which, in a way, it kind of did. He cursed under his breath several seconds later when he realized Don wasn't going to answer and sent it ringing again, cursing the god's above and worrying about Don at the same time.

Why isn't he answering? Did something happen to him too? Cause Raph will be damned if another one of his brothers are harmed and he can't even do a single thing about it. Not unless Don suddenly and miraculously showed up at the door...?

Nope, no one was showing up.

"Argh! Of all the times..!" Raph gritted his teeth and glared hard at the device, willing the piece of junk to burst into flames. And to think he actually thought it was useful from the beginning...

Well, there's only one option left. Next to Don, Leo's the one who knows his stuff about medical things.

"Leo, I swear, if you don't pick up like Don I'm gonna throttle you both." He grumbled and punched the blue button.

For a moment, static burst through the screen, the sound echoing in the room. Raph waited impatiently as finally, the screen cleared and he saw Leo's face. He looked oddly panicked, sweaty, and his eyes are darting around wildly.

"Leo, you're really a sight for sore eyes." Raph smirked at him, but Leo was really too panicked to notice. "Hey, what's going on? What the heck's wrong with you?"

Finally, Leo's attention focused on him. He looked like a caged animal at the moment, and Raph suddenly got the feeling that something big's going on.

"Raph! I... what's wrong? Why'd you call? Did something happened to you too?" His voice was oddly frantic. What the heck's going on Fearless, and what do you mean by 'too'?

"I called because Mikey here is injured. You know that I know next to nothing about first aid-!"

"MIKEY'S WITH YOU!?"

Raph nearly staggered back when Leo's whole face suddenly zoomed in on the screen. Whoa, the heck's wrong with everybody?

"Yeah he's with me. What's going on Leo? Why're you all jittery?"

"Raph, I need to see Mikey. Can you show him to me?" His tone clearly suggested that it's an order, not a mere request. Usually, Raph would be irritated. But he let go of it now that he saw Leo looking all concerned and worried. It wouldn't do if Leo suddenly had an aneurysm or something equally worse from so much stress.

"Yeah, here he is." He flipped the device over and showed his older brother Mikey's whole body laying on the countertop. Mikey's still unconscious and unmoving, his breathing the only evidence that he's still alive. He let Leo roam his eyes all over Mikey to determine his injuries, as well as giving him a running commentary about what he knows. Leo was silent throughout the whole thing, until he told him of the recent panic attack Mikey had.

"Raphael, am I to assume that you found out about Mikey's situation because you're tired of just being in the room despite what I told you to do?"

"Uhhh yeah?"

"Then I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I'm really glad you disobeyed my orders." He looked really relieved now. Just what happened between them?

"Now here's what you're going to do with that arm..."

Several minutes and a whole lot of curses and cockroaches in dishtowels later, Raph finally got to fix Mikey's arm and give it a splint, (courtesy of a broken down cupboard door). He was quite proud of it, and gloated about it every chance he got, though Leo just kept rolling his eyes good-naturedly. Suddenly, Raph remembered why he called Leo in the first place.

"Hey Leo, you heard from Don recently?"

At the mention of their third youngest brother, Leo stiffened and his blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He looked oddly speechless with shock.

"Hey, the heck's wrong with you!?"

"Oh damn, Don!"

To Raph's surprise, Leo began fiddling with his T-Pad, probably trying to call Donnie now. "Leo, what's going on? Why're you so panicked?"

"I... I think I heard something earlier, as I was tearing through the corridors. It sounded like a muffled thump or something like that, but it was barely audible and I just assumed that it's just a rat or some kind of pest that I didn't pay attention to it, but what if it's Don?! What if the same thing Mikey experienced will happen to him?! I have to go back Raph!" Leo was ranting now, and he was probably already heading towards that direction super fast since his surroundings are already blurring together.

"Leo, don't you dare turn this thing off! To hell with the battery! I have to know what's happening now!"

Was it his imagination, or did Leo just flash him a smile? A PROUD smile?

"Don't worry Raph, I don't plan to. We're in this together." Now Raph was certain that it was a proud smile, despite the anxious and worried look he's currently wearing. Why was he giving him that? What did he do?

But he couldn't exactly ask that out loud, so he just grinned back at him nonchalantly.

"Yeah yeah, great speech. Now get in there and rescue Don's ass already!"


	9. Chapter 9

Leo ran.

He's only slightly aware of Raph watching his every move through the T-Pad, his own worry almost tangible from the screen. Leo couldn't blame him. He himself was worried sick. There was this huge question hanging over their heads:

_Where is Don?_

Almost everyone who got pursued by a ghost were still able to call through their T-Pad, at least with Mikey and himself. Maybe Don encountered one who can turn off his T-Pad and render it useless?

He voiced such a question to Raph, who raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's possible. But I'm thinking more along the lines of 'Don in so much trouble that he can't reach his T-Pad.' He could be injured or dead for all we know."

"Well let's just hope it's not _that_ option." Leo said, his worry increasing ten-fold because of Raph's pessimism.

To his dismay, he found himself imagining Don's scenarios. He could be lying dead on the floor, bleeding and mangled. He could have his arms ripped off, so that he can't reach his T-Pad. He could be unconscious. He could have a concussion. He could have been dead and he'll lose his intelligent younger brother because of a stupid game his two other brothers forced him to play and he can't do anything about it and what would Master Splinter say oh no _oh my god-!_

"Leo! LEO! Snap out of it! You're hyperventilating! What the heck's wrong with you?! Get your act together!" Raph nearly shouted, his eyes holding a new kind of emotion: worry for HIM.

Well that's new.

Leo stared dumbly at him, his breathing heavy and ragged, his wide eyes back to the present. He noticed that he stopped running while panicking, and that he was standing like a statue in the middle of the hallway.

"Sorry... I'm sorry..." He said while trying to catch his breath. Raph only nodded, his eyes strangely understanding.

"I know." He told him, and Leo almost smiled. If this happened in any other situation, Raph would've yelled himself hoarse at him, and Leo would understand. He chose panicking over continuing to run after his little brother after all. That's kind of serious.

"Go." Raph said, and his words gave him determination.

He continued to run.

**.**

**~oOo~**

**.**

He reached the last place he heard the thump in record time, making up for the lost time he spent panicking. He skidded to a stop, his hand resting on a wall. There was another hallway in the middle leading to who knows where. This, he's certain, will take him to Don. Or at least, clues to Don's whereabouts.

One look at Raph got him running again, searching for an English Queen portrait. He was pretty sure that was the last thing Don said about his location. His brother won't move from there, unless it was against his will.

At the thought of these words, as well as the added scene before him, made him ground to a halt and gape.

The place was a battle zone. A struggle clearly happened here, maybe Don against something else. It would explain why Don is missing from the scene, whereas his things are right here.

"Hey, what's going on? You found something?" Raph asked, and Leo realized that Raph was facing him, not the scene. He quickly flipped the T-Pad backwards, and Raph immediately let out a string of curses.

"Don certainly didn't go down without a fight." He remarked, and Leo agreed silently.

The marks of Don's struggle can be seen from the hastily dropped duffle bag, the embedded shurikens on the walls, his forgotten bo staff on the ground, the splatters of blood on the ground, and a flashlight shining a beam towards an English Queen painting that has been ripped to shreds, the face almost indistinguishable. But it was most certainly a Queen.

There were also these unknown marks and cracks on the walls. Don certainly couldn't have created those. The only sharp objects he had were the shurikens and tantos, and none of them could've made a mark like claws so deeply.

"Those are a lot of scratch marks…" Leo murmured.

"What the hell did he fight? That's not like the one with you and the one chasing Mikey!" Raph was positively distressed now.

He's right. With Leo, according to one of his brothers anyway, the one with him in the bathroom was a woman with long hair. The one with Mikey was probably an impersonator, a doppelganger. One who's most probably still solid and still has a corporeal body. But with Don, it's like a whole other thing. No creature can create these marks on the walls, floor, and ceiling, unless it's very tall or it's flying, and certainly no creature can make these marks if it's only one.

"You think he fought more of them?" Raph asked, coming to the same conclusion as he.

"Maybe. Or he fought one that has multiple arms." Leo replied.

"I think I like that option better than mine." Raph muttered. "So what do you think happened?"

Leo smiled slightly, glad that Raph asked for his version of things. This was the field he's the most experienced after all: Investigating.

He quickly slipped into detective mode.

"Well, judging by the surrounding marks in the whole hallway, but none past the painting of the Queen, I would deduce that the creature came from the painting itself, and Don was at our position right now, because there are no more claw marks behind me. And since Don isn't the engaging type and is a pacifist, he probably tried to run away, but failed, because he probably got stopped by the creature. He was forced to a fight. He threw those four shurikens that got embedded in the walls. It's only my guess if he hit it. But Don's great at target practice, so he probably did. And maybe the creature got angry, and that's when these claw marks and the blood happened. He got taken, maybe with a fair share of injuries. Which brings us to now." Leo finished.

"Injuries? How are you sure he isn't dead?" Raph demanded.

"Because if he's dead, the creature will just leave him here." Leo snapped, his temper flaring. "Will you quit telling me he's dead?! Don's stronger than you realize! He'll pull through! It's not like it's the first time he got injured in battle!"

"Well I'm sorry for worrying about our younger brother, _Fearless."_ He growled, his sarcasm dripping out on the nickname.

Leo promptly ignored him, now's not the time for petty banters, and proceeded to collect Don's stuff. He slung the bag on his shoulder, and hooked the bo staff behind the back. The shurikens, he also collected. _'You never know when you need them'_ , and proceeded towards the unexplored hallway again.

"Hey, where're you going?" Raph demanded.

"Finding Don." Leo told him. "Just take care of Mikey alright? My T-Pad's already down one bar, I can't risk the lack of communication if it drains. I'm just gonna call you back. If something's wrong with Mikey, don't hesitate to call me."

"Wait! I need to know more about Don! You can't just leave me in the dark!"

"I'll take care of Don, your responsibility now is Mikey. Wait for him to wake up, and protect him. I'm counting on you Raph." Leo looked Raph dead in the eye, willing him to not make this harder, to understand, to just _obey._

Raph looked like he has more to say, but just sighed and clammed his mouth shut. He nodded, and Leo ended the call.

Leo ran again.

But before he left, he was almost certain the English Queen's mangled eyes were staring at him, unrecognizable lips forming a grin.


	10. Chapter 10

Raph glared at the offending device in his hands, not entirely sure if he will follow through with his original plan and break it in irritation. While imagining Don's horrified face made him think better of it, what's to prevent him from visualizing its destruction?

He slumped down the kitchen counter, only slightly aware of all the possible germs and dirt clinging to his butt right now, but they live in a freaking SEWER, so it's not really in his first list of priorities.

His gaze landed on Mikey, the weak beam from the flashlight barely illuminating his face, giving it some freaky ass shadows. He still wasn't waking up, and Raph doesn't want to know his reaction when he does. His brother might be traumatized for all he knew.

And now Don might be added in the list of traumatized brothers once Leo finds him. Knowing him, he might be denying all this ghost stuff until the day he dies, or he will face the truth and be left doubting all the science mumbo jumbo facts that he knows.

"Damn, I can't just sit here and wait for Lady- _fucking_ -Luck to shine a light on all of us and miraculously save Don." He growled, glaring hard at the door that was keeping them from the horrors outside. Leo and Don are out there, and here he is, hiding like an overgrown baby with his equally overgrown baby brother. He felt so useless!

_-"I'll take care of Don, your responsibility now is Mikey. Wait for him to wake up, and protect him."-_

He knew that! Goddammit, he knew that! But that still doesn't change the fact that he's hiding his sorry ass in here like a coward. He should be out there helping Leo find Don!

_-"I'm counting on you Raph."-_

He face-palmed, those words echoing in his head. That wasn't the first time Leo told him that, but it still took effect much greater than he expected. For once in his life, Leo relied on him for something. Granted, that something he would take care of even if Leo didn't tell him, but it's still different. He felt a bit guilty for even thinking of disobeying him this time.

Wait a minute…

Raph slowly raised his head, an idea forming in his mind. Leo never _did_ say he wasn't allowed to go help him look for Don. He just told him to wait for Mikey to wake up and protect him at all costs.

So that means as long as he has Mikey by his side, he can fulfill his job in protecting him as well as help Leo find Don.

That was the best idea he ever had.

Smiling with a newly-found determination, he eagerly stood guard beside Mikey, his body already trembling with anticipation as he waited for him to wake up.

_Just you wait Don, I promise I'll come and find you._

**.**

**~oOo~**

**.**

Leo's head suddenly snapped up, a feeling like someone just figured something out passing through his mind.

Huh. Raph probably got his hidden message. He doesn't want to admit it, but he doesn't know these ghosts, nor the whole mansion. It's going to be hard searching for Don here. Especially if those so-called ghosts kept teleporting him to who knows where. Unlikely, but possible. He needed all the help he can get, and he knows Raph is more than capable of protecting Mikey while he looks for Don.

It frustrates him that he can't do anything but run around, opening doors, checking for clues around, and occasionally finding a very creepy room that brings shivers up his spine… (Like that shrineSLASHchapel room earlier. He's never gonna look at religious statues the same way ever again.) The hallways are full of paintings, none of them ripped up, but everything with damn scary faces to make up for the loss. He frequently gets the feeling that they're watching him, and with everything that's happened earlier, that's not at all impossible.

Besides, those same paintings, judging by his investigations, are the very same ones that got Don.

Since Leo still has common sense left, he didn't try to attack those paintings. God knows what he might unleash next. Besides, he's not gonna try and leave Raph and Mikey alone in here even for a second.

Leo ran past another door, and hurriedly backtracked and opened it. To his slight surprise, the door didn't budge. He frowned and twisted the knob.

It's locked.

This is the first room he encountered that has a locked door. What does that mean?

He could try to pick the lock, but then what could he find here? Another creepy as hell room? Or a normal room? Maybe even the place where Donnie is? Or another malicious ghost in hiding?

Sweat beaded his brow as he decided on what to do. Raph can't help him. Knowing his luck, he might even lead him to the wrong choice. Mikey is good at lucky guesses, but he's currently out of commission. Don might know what to do, but he's the one missing.

Leo wasn't concerned for his own safety. In fact, he was concerned that once he's gone, the ghosts might come after Raph and Mikey next, and he wouldn't be there to protect them.

_What to do… what to do…_

To help make his choice, he decided to press his ear against the door. Honestly, he didn't know what he might hear, but any clues as to what's inside would be nice.

At first there's nothing, and Leo silently breathed a sigh of relief. But then all of a sudden, there was a whimper.

Leo instantly froze, his hand still resting on the door knob.

_What was that?_

He pressed his ear closer, and this time, he heard more whimpers and a hiss of pain.

_Was that… Don?_

But what if it isn't? What if it's another ghost, fooling him. He hates to jinx it, but it can't be _that_ easy.

 _But what if it_ is _him? Your little brother is injured, and if you leave now, and he is the one behind that door, you've already lost your chance in rescuing him._

 _'Guess that makes me a coward then.'_ Leo gritted his teeth.

_What to do… what to do…?_

He stood there rigidly, contemplating his problem. The whimpers continued, albeit less and more silently.

_What to do… what to do…?_

He thought of calling Raph, at least to let him know what's happening. But the T-Pad's already lost one battery bar. What if it completely drains?

_What to do… what to do…?_

Screw it, he's gonna call them. He hurriedly pushed the red button and waited, still facing the door. At last, the screen buzzed and Raph's face appeared, looking expectant and oddly enough, determined.

"Well? Did you find Don?"

"I… actually, I think I did. But I'm still not sure. I'm guessing he's behind this locked door, but I don't know if it's him, or another ghost luring me into a trap. There are whimpers of pain Raph, and we both know Don has injuries."

"Well knowing you, you've already got something in that fearless brain of yours. Spit it out."

"I'm gonna check it out." He decided.

"It's too easy though." Raph frowned. "I mean, they went through all the trouble to kidnap him, but he's just behind a super obvious locked door?"

"But maybe that's what they want us to think. It's too easy, so we might just pass ahead without a backward glance. But I'm gonna do it Raph." He glared determinedly at his eyes. "Don can be anywhere. I won't pass up this opportunity."

Raph grinned at him. "Whatever you say Leo, just promise me that if you see one of those dumbasses, you'll beat the fuck out of them _so_ hard, they'll feel like they died all over again and went through hell."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Leo grinned, adrenaline and anticipation already coursing through his veins.

He unlocked the door.


	11. Chapter 11

To say Raphael is angry is an understatement. He's beginning to think someone is really set on making their lives absolute hell.

He had been expecting something behind that damn door. An injured Don? Another one of those stupid ghosts? An empty room? Anything is better than the thing currently facing him now.

A blank screen.

Déjà vu-ish.

He began the tedious job of randomly punching the buttons, even though he knew there is no use. Something other-worldly is interfering with the connection. It's toying with them, and Raph is _furious_ to think that they're playing right into its hands.

He just hopes Leo's alright.

"If another one of my brothers went missing, I _swear_ to god I'll-!"

" _Raph_ …?"

Startled, he whipped around and almost clutched his plastron in shock. It's rare to catch him off-guard, but now someone managed it. Someone weak no less. It made Raph mad as heck again. Though concern is first and foremost before he raged like a bull in front of his little brother.

"Mikey! You're alright!" Raph quickly went to his side, his eyes starting to scan him for any strange signs. Hey, it doesn't hurt to be a bit cautious.

Mikey just whimpered pathetically. "Y-Yeah… other than my arm, which is absolutely killing me by the way, I'm fine." He winced when he accidentally jostled said arm. The sound of his familiar and slightly sarcastic voice made Raph feel relieved, though he's still suspicious. Judging by the amount of horror movies he watched, it's not at all weird that Raph's first thought is a possessed Mikey.

Still… it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Even though he knew Mikey would never let him live it down once he found out what he's thinking.

"Mikey, what do you think is Master Splinter's favorite drink?" Raph tried asking nonchalantly, though he felt his cheeks burning from embarrassment. Still, if this revealed that Mikey's not himself, then it's worth it.

Mikey, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Dude, have you been living under a rock all these years? It's tea, duh."

At his immediate answer, Raph sighed silently in relief, but is abruptly cut off when he noticed that Mikey is just silently staring at him, his face completely amused.

"Why did you ask? What do you think I'm going to answer?"

_Damn, he caught him!_ He laughed awkwardly, trying to play it off. "What? Nothing! I'm just… you know…" Mikey is sending him that knowing look, and it's irritating the hell out of him. " _Anyways_ , you should probably know that-"

" _Aww_! Is big brother Raph worried about me? Don't worry, I won't leave you all alone!" He cooed, laughing when Raph gave him a furious look.

While Mikey is laughing though, Raph's a bit confused. Just earlier his little brother was panicking and almost clawing his throat out of sheer terror while screaming like crazy, but now he's acting like nothing happened. Where did the scared, traumatized Mikey go? Raph still felt incredibly suspicious."Mikey… do you, by any chance, remember what happened earlier?"

Mikey immediately stopped laughing, his face scrunching up in concentration. After a while, he answered. " _Nooo_ … is it something important?"

Raph stared incredulously at his brother, while he just stared back blankly.

_Seriously!?_

"What? Why are you giving me that 'I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that' look? Did something important happened?"

_Okay, this is seriously getting weirder and weirder…_ "Then… do you know where we are?"

Mikey began looking around, his face still scrunched up. "Uhh… we're obviously in a kitchen. But why does it look like it's abandoned or something?"

_Oh holy mother of craps…_ "H-Hey… you seriously don't know what's going on? You're not messing with me? This isn't funny at all Mikey so quit it!" Raph's beginning to panic now, cause Mikey can _not_ just forget about everything! Is he _that_ traumatized that his brain suddenly decides to throw away everything that just happened this past hour?!

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" He finally snapped, causing Raph to back away in surprise. Mikey _never_ snaps unless he's really angry… "What the hell happened?! Why are we in a dark kitchen all alone?! Where's Donnie and Leo…?" Mikey's voice suddenly trailed off, leaving him gaping like a fish. Raph peered at his face worriedly, _what's happening to him now?!_ "Hey… hey bro? You okay?"

"Y-Yeah… I'll be okay… I just thought that…" Mikey's staring at him, his expression completely bewildered. "I-It's nothing. _Really_!" He insisted when Raph began glaring at him. "S-So where's Don and L-Leo again?"

Raph glared at him for a moment longer, obviously not appreciating the sudden subject change. He thankfully just let it go and answered, "I don't know about Leo, but Don's missing."

"M- _Missing_?!"

"Yeah, he got abducted by some freaky ghost things, and last I heard of him, Leo's trying to rescue him. I was just planning on finding them when you suddenly woke up."

Mikey's eyes got five times bigger, and he seemed to disregard anything else he said, except for one word: " _Ghosts_?!"

"Damn it Mikey, you really don't remember anything?!" Raph asked him incredulously.

"H-How could I forget something as important as that?!" He looked terribly panicked now. "I'm knocked out the whole time while my brothers are missing?! We better find them right now!" He suddenly sat up and tried standing, but Raph immediately stopped him with a stern look on his face.

"Hey, I am not letting you exert yourself while you have injuries like that." He scolded. "You just stay there while I figure something out."

"Raph! We got to find them now!" Mikey yelled, his glare matching Raph's own. "I've handled worse than a broken arm. I'm _fine_!" When Raph looked ready to shout back at him again, Mikey finally dropped his angry look. He looked about to cry now, causing Raph's voice to die down in his throat. "Raph… I'm worried about them." Mikey whimpered, finally showing his fear. "I told you, I can handle this. Don might be even more injured than I am."

Raph looked torn now. Leo told him to take care of Mikey, but he desperately wants to find Don and Leo now before anything bad happens to them. Mikey can handle it… right? "I… _okay_. But you better not drop dead once we're outside!" He warned. Mikey just nodded, his face set in determination.

"I won't."

Satisfied, Raph carefully started to help him up. Mikey groaned in pain here and there, but it's not that bad to be classified as life-threatening. He's right. Don might be in even more danger than he is. Besides, Leo might be in danger at _this very moment._

"So… ready?" Raph asked him, his hand on the knob of the door. "I'm still not happy with this." He reminded him.

Mikey just nodded, his hand clutching his injured arm close. "I know." He tried to smile at him, but it looked more like a grimace.

"If there's something out there, run back in here. I'll handle it. You're too injured to do anything." Raph told him, his face deadly serious.

"But I- okay..." He quailed under Raph's glare.

"I'm serious Mikey. You are in absolutely _no_ condition to fight."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'm too frightened to face some ghosts. Unless you're just messing with me and this whole thing is a prank…?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you _really_ think I'm joking?! We're in a real danger here!" Raph snapped. Mikey tried to raise both hands to placate him, but only managed a wince when he accidentally raised the wrong arm. " _Ow_! Okay, I'm sorry. Just tell me what really happened on the way." He told him, "My mind's still full of blank spaces and it's really freaking me out."

Mikey heard Raph mutter something under his breath, and if it weren't for the dead silence of the room, he wouldn't have heard it. " _Trust me, you're better off not knowing."_

Mikey suddenly felt frightened. He watched as Raph unsheathed his sais, his face deadly serious. That finally convinced Mikey that this situation is real and all of them are really in danger. Raph couldn't pull off a serious face in a prank even if his life depended on it. So Mikey just found himself hiding behind his older brother, waiting anxiously if something really _is_ behind that door.

"Stay close." Raph sent him one last look before finally opening the door slowly. The creaking sound sent them both cringing and Mikey whimpering. Strangely enough, they heard a gasp, followed by Raph suddenly backing away and bumping straight into Mikey, almost sending him crashing to the floor. He is just about ready to ask what's wrong, when one word stopped him dead and caused a whole bunch of memories to suddenly erupt in his head.

"Leo…" Raph whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

_"Leo?!"_ Raph exclaimed incredulously, completely caught off-guard. He vaguely heard Mikey squeak in surprise behind him, but ignored it in favor of staring at his supposed brother in suspicion, hackles all raised and body ready to attack.

On the other side of the door, the thing who looked just like Leo stood frozen, eyes that were the same shade of blue as his brother's opened wide and confused. Suddenly he tensed and, like it was rehearsed, they both simultaneously drew out their respective weapons and swung it at each other, abruptly stopping it just inches from each other's throats.

" _Who are you?!"_ They both demanded, eyes narrowed with suspicion and distrust. Meanwhile, Mikey just stood frozen behind Raph, gaze shifting back and forth between his two brothers in shock.

Raph gnashed his teeth angrily at the silence as they both waited for the other to make the first move. Leo, on the other hand, just stood stubbornly in front of him, sword never wavering from his throat while Raph's own weapon quivered in rage. Growing impatient as the silence stretched on for several minutes, he finally decided to make the first move: by asking a personal question to prove his brother's identity. " _What did you do to... to help me sleep after_ that _n-nightmare... when we were all younger?"_ He looked quite constipated after the question was out of his mouth, like he couldn't believe he just asked that.

Leo, on the other hand, still looked serious and answered without hesitation, "I reassured you that you will always be a part of this family no matter what happens." That done, his stance gradually relaxed, though he still looked wary. "Raph...?"

"Leo…" Raph echoed back, perplexed. "I thought you were upstairs searching for Don?"

"I thought so too."

"You were just talking to me a while ago!"

"Yes, I know."

"The signal got cut!"

"I noticed."

"Fearless," Raph finally said in exasperation, "I should've heard you before you came barging in here. Why didn't I?"

Leo just stared back at him and said a bit sarcastically, "Well, maybe because I'm a _ninja_?"

His eyes flashed in irritation. "You know what I meant!"

"I know," Leo slowly rubbed his temples, feeling the beginnings of a huge headache forming. "I don't know how I was suddenly transported here, because I sure as heck didn't climb any stairs down, and... _and_ _did you actually lock this door?"_

Raph suddenly looked sheepish, "I... I suppose I did. I guess I forgot to mention that..."

Leo sighed in exasperation and shook his head. "It's alright. Though I _do_ wonder who I heard whimpering in pain earlier..."

"Well… maybe it's Mikey? He _is_ hurt after all." Raph offered, but then immediately froze when he heard that unmistakable sound of a whimper right behind him. But instead of a pained whimper like they were all expecting, this one soundsmore _terrified_. His eyes widened and he turned slowly, absently noticing that Leo copied his actions too.

The sight he saw stopped him short, "M-Mikey…?"

" _Oh no…"_ He heard Leo whisper behind him.

They both watched as Mikey started taking several steps backward quickly, as if doing his best to cover as much distance from the two of them as possible. He looked positively  _terrified_ and _panicked_ , his breaths are coming in short and quick, with fingers twitching towards his weapons like he desperately wanted to draw them out so that he can whack both of them over the head with it. Though while his whole body is trembling in fear and looking like he can dart away at any moment, only his panicked eyes remained steady as they locked on the turtle behind Raph and nowhere else. Confused, Raph glanced warily at Leo first, who looked like he understood what was going on, and to Mikey who looked like he was literally seconds away from screaming; wondering why there is a sudden tension in the air around them. "Hey Mikey, what's wrong?"

Mikey didn't reply, instead scrambling away even further.

Raph then turned to Leo for a better understanding of the situation, "Leo?"

But Leo's eyes are trained on Mikey only, making no move to answer Raph's inquiry. He was about to slap them both upside the head until one of them gave in and explained what the heck is going on, when realization struck.

He suddenly remembered Mikey's panic attack earlier, the unmistakable turtle shape of the shadowy thing chasing after him which he scared away, Mikey's moans and whimpers of pain as he kept repeating one word over and over again in _fear_ :

_Leo._

Raph suddenly understood.

A growl involuntarily ripped through his throat at the realization and he instantly whirled around, shoving a startled Leo back with the strength of a raging bull and slamming him against the wall with a _**bang!**_ _,_ successfully knocking the wind out of his lungs. Leo gasped in surprise before snapping his head back as the tip of Raph's sai suddenly hovered inches from his throat. "R- _Raph…?"_ He rasped.

" _WHO THE_ FUCK _ARE YOU?!"_ He roared, eyes almost _glowing_ in fury. At his declaration, Leo suddenly struggled against his hold, eyes wide in confusion. "I- _I don't understand-"_

"Don't play games with me, _asshole_!" He hissed venomously as he pushed his sai even further, the tip now touching the skin in the fake's throat. He felt his blood boil in anger as he heard Mikey let out a terrified whimper behind him, the strong urge to protect his little brother growing more and more. " _I_ know _you're not our brother!"_

" _What_?!" The thing with Leo's face gaped in disbelief, "No, Raph! You got it all wrong-!"

"Oh, _I_ got it all wrong now, did I? _Do you think I'm an idiot?!"_

"No, of course not!" He yelled as he struggled even further, trying in vain to shove off Raph's grip, though Raph's strength still won out in the end. "Raph, it's really me!" He insisted, but when Raph's stubborn glare refused to budge, his eyes darted around to seek out the only other person in the room who can help him. "Mikey, _help!"_

At his desperate cry, Raph chanced a glance behind him to see his youngest brother looking like he's on the verge of a heart attack. His wide eyes shot between him and the fake Leo, clearly not understanding what he should do. Raph noted the fact that Mikey's now holding both a nunchaku in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and he wondered when exactly did he get them that Raph didn't notice.

Meanwhile, Mikey took a step back in hesitation, looking completely unsure. Raph was about to turn back to the fake still on his grip and demand more answers from him, when Leo suddenly spoke up again.

"Mikey, _please_."

At that, Mikey's eyes abruptly widened and Raph immediately tensed when his youngest brother sprang into action, prepared to hold him off in protecting the fake under his grip; but rather than helping Leo as they both had expected, he suddenly turned on his heel on the spot and ran for the open door beside them instead, bursting through and escaping into the dark corridors beyond, his feet making no noise on the wooden floors.

Raph could only stare after his abrupt disappearance in shock, his grip on Leo suddenly stiff and weak. Using this chance, Leo spun out of his slack hold as gracefully as ever, dodging Raph's weak attempt at catching him again and landing crouched beside the startled red-masked turtle. He then spun on his heel without a word and ran off in the same direction Mikey ran off to, leaving Raph to stand alone dumbly inside the kitchen once more, wondering what in the seven hells just _happened_.

Their sudden actions prompted him to think carefully at what happened earlier though, as he gathered his equipment and ran after them without hesitation, leaving the dark kitchen abandoned once again.

 _Was that Leo really the original or the fake one?_ Raph carefully reviewed that turtle's actions in his mind as he ran, trying to spot if he made a particular _unLeo_ -like move so that he could catch him in the act, but spotted none. Raph really only had Mikey's suspicions as a basis, but if asked, he would've admitted that the turtle earlier is his brother alright.

 _And where in the world is Donnie anyway?!_ He'd feel a lot better if his genius brother is right here beside him. His calm presence, believe it or not, soothes Raph during stressful situations, and Donnie's instincts and common sense are usually better than his anyway. He would've found out using his mad genius ways if it really _is_ Leo or just some doppelganger out to get them all in ten seconds flat.

 _God_ , he hopes Donnie's okay...

He teared through the corridors like a raging bull and occasionally skidded to a stop right around corners, before running after them again. He abandoned stealth a long time ago, which is why his rapid footsteps are audible now, stomping across the floor in reckless abandon. He could only guess what directions they exactly went, though he isn't about to abandon his youngest brother, fake Leo or no. And if he found Don during this chase, then all the better!

" _MIIIIKEY!!!!"_ He shouted, trying to get Mikey to reveal where he is. If he drew in a few ghosts in the process, well... he'll just cross that bridge when he gets there. " _WHERE ARE YOU!??!"_

There was no response. Raph didn't really expect him to, when there's a high possibility that there will be creatures in the dark just _waiting_ for him to reveal his location. But even so, just a few signs that he heard him will do _wonders_ for his state of mind. After all, he has been running full speed for several minutes and it's like he's just been going around in circles! He could hear _nothing_ from beyond him. No footsteps... no whimpers... _nothing_. It's as if they both just vanished, or they're hiding from him in full stealth mode.

But why _would_ they?

After several moments full of running, Raph slowly eased to a stop, his harsh breathing coming in short pants and gasps. He brought a hand up his forehead to wipe all the sweat and found a wall to lean on, feeling tired all of a sudden. He really won't achieve anything just by running around. Besides, there's absolutely _no_ _sign_ of Mikey and fake Leo/real Leo around, so what's the point?

Without the blood rushing in his ears while running, the whole place suddenly looked eerily quiet. More so than before, because before, he still _has_ his brothers. But now, everyone's missing and he's alone again. And this time, there are no dark kitchens with butcher knives to keep him company.

 _"Where did you all go?"_ He whispered.

**...**

Meanwhile, down the corridors... past Raph's position in the hallways... past the dark kitchen and the chapel with disturbing statues, reddish-brown eyes suddenly snapped wide open, the pain from his injuries helping his genius mind to clear from its unconscious haze...


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated for almost a year and I am so sorry. Writing is getting harder for me because of an extreme case of writer's block, different interest in fandoms, and lack of ideas. I just decided to update right now because so many of you have asked me to. I thank each and every one of you for your constant support in this story, it's because of you guys that I decided to move my lazy butt and update. Every comment I read motivates me to write, especially if you have ideas. 
> 
> I'm so sorry if this chapter is really short, I hope it will satisfy you until my next update, which will probably take longer depending on when an idea strikes. Please comment, you all know how much you motivate and make me happy. Especially with your kind words. I hope you like it and see you in the next update!
> 
> This chapter is based on a haunted house located in Kansas called the Sallie House. Research if you want to know the whole story, but can I just say it is terrifying. You have been warned.
> 
> And if any of you know or play Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, then you might catch a familiar quote in here.

The first thing Donatello noticed when he came to was pain. Lots of it. His head was throbbing like crazy (he was fairly sure he had a mild concussion), one of his arms seems to be dislocated since, last he checked, limbs do not _bend_ that way, and he can't feel his legs. At first, he was terrified that they might have been cut off but, judging by the slight needle-like sensation when he tensed, they have just fallen asleep.

The second thing he noticed was that he's not alone.

Careful not to make any abrupt movements, he tried relaxing his body and began breathing deeply, his eyes sliding shut in false slumber. It would be completely foolish of him to announce that he is awake without first taking stock of the situation. This was not the first time he had been kidnapped, and it would certainly not be his last, so he already has a lot of experience on what to do.

First things first, _what the hell happened to him?_ The last thing he remembered was some weird ass painting suddenly vomiting dark shadow tendrils and him making a run for it. However, wasn't that just a dream…?

The shadowy tendril that suddenly slapped the floor beside his head immediately changed his mind.

 _Holy crap!_ He barely resisted the urge to flinch in shock, still in the middle of feigning sleep. His panicking mind couldn't make heads or tails of the phenomenon right in front of him. This is physically impossible! That tendril is practically _solid;_ not at all what a shadow should look like!

Something tells him he has reacted like this before. Déjà vu anyone?

' _Okay, calm down Donatello. Panicking won't get you out of here.'_ He scolded himself. He's seen weirder things, this shouldn't faze him in the slightest… right?

Breathing deeper in an attempt to relax himself, Donnie quickly began analyzing his situation. He is currently lying on the floor in a very dark room, with the only light source coming from the crescent moon in the window outside. The dull glow made it possible to at least see, instead of the pitch black they experienced the whole time they were here. Unfortunately, it also made it possible to see the shadow tendrils completely surrounding him.

They swallowed up every inch of the room, writhing and slithering like black eels across the floor, on the walls, even the ceiling. It seems he is lying down right in the middle of the floor; the tendrils making a crude circle around him. Nothing was tying him down, thankfully. However, he dreaded to find out why they did not do so. Are they testing him? He didn't know why they would bother, it's no question that he'll run the hell away from here when given the chance.

However, running would need tools. Knowing this, Donnie quickly took stock of anything remaining on his person. He knows his bo staff is missing (the absence of the sturdy wood on his back was too noticeable for him to miss.) However, to his dismay, even his duffel bag is nowhere to be found judging by the absent weight on his shoulders. Even the brief scan around the room he could barely do with an immobile head turned up nothing. He only carried a handful of items in his belt, so most of his tools are in the bag. If that went missing… then what else could he do!?

'S _top panicking already!'_ A harsh voice that sounds exactly like Raphael yelled at him before internally slapping him upside the head, almost making him wince.

 _'Calm down and think rationally Donatello.'_ This time, Leonardo's reassuring voice replaced Raphael's, soothing him and slowly calming him down.

 _'Don't worry, you can do it!'_ Yelled Michelangelo's voice, and Donatello amusedly envisioned him in his mind's eye doing a cheer dance.

To his disappointment, Michelangelo's image slowly faded away until he is all alone once again. He fought the urge to heave a sigh. He missed his brothers. They have not seen each other since the night began, and it seems it won't be ending anytime soon. Frankly, this is the longest night he has ever experienced. It felt like they had been in here for _days,_ not hours.

Which is why he's very frustrated that they haven't made it out yet. This is just a random haunted house they selected. True, there have been many scary stories surrounding this place, but nothing _this_ extreme. Why the house and its otherworldly residents want to take their anger out on them, of all people, he doesn't want to know.

This isn't the time to freak out about why it shouldn't be possible for ghosts to exist, this is the time his brain should be working non-stop to figure out how to find his brothers and get them out of here.

Making up his mind, Donnie began shifting and tensing as quietly as he could, trying to get a feel of the items in his belt that could somehow help him escape from here without moving his hands. It was exactly as difficult as it sounds.

 _Shift._ A smoke bomb. _Shift. Shift._ Three shuriken. _Shift._ His shell cell. _Shift._ A screwdriver. _Shift_. A piece of gum Mikey insisted on bringing. _Shift. Shift. Shift._

That's it.

He resisted the urge to scream his frustration to the heavens. Nothing useful. Not even a flashlight. Even his T-Pad is missing! What could he even do with a smoke bomb, a shell cell, and a stupid piece of gum?!

As if sensing his panic, a tendril suddenly slapped the floor just below his legs, making him stiffen.

He's running out of time.

That realization immediately turned his attention to his missing brothers. Where are they now? Are they hurt? Mikey must be scared out of his mind by now. What about Raph? He hasn't heard from him since their group call so he was understandably worried. Leo, on the other hand, must still be searching for him. If the house would cooperate for once (he has long since accepted the fact that the house was literally rearranging itself to hinder their attempts at meeting each other), then Leo would've found the signs of the struggle already. Now all that is left is to wait for his older brother to rescue his sorry butt.

In the meantime, he'll have to continue pretending to be unconscious. He has absolutely _no_ desire to interact with anything otherworldly if he could help it, and that includes weird shadowy octopus monstrositie–

" _ **Hello."**_

This time, he completely failed to stop himself from jumping in surprise and fear. The voice suddenly giggled at his actions, and it was then he realized that the voice was that of a little girl's.

_Great. Next time, there will be demon babies and creepy women from the Victorian era out to get him. Just what he needed._

" _ **I don't recognize you."**_ Her curious voice seemed to be _everywhere_ , bouncing and reverberating on the rotten walls. **"** _ **Are you new? You must be."**_

He bit back the sarcastic retort he was about to say just in time. _'Nope. I am not, nor will I ever be new here. I'm just passing through and will be out of your hair soon, provided your creepy octopus friend releases me from this nightmare.'_ Yep, that would probably go over well.

" _ **I know you're awake."**_ A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of a little girl staring at him so intently that she can claim that. _ **"Look at me."**_

And he did. Her commanding tone made it extremely difficult to refuse. Besides, he doesn't know what she'll do to him if he disobeyed. It would be better to go along with it for now. Slowly blinking to get his bearings, Donatello cautiously raised his head, ignoring the stiffness in his neck from lying on the ground for so long, until reddish brown eyes met pale blue ones. He almost scrambled back at the realization that the little girl was only a few inches away from his face, an amused smile playing on her pale lips. "W-Wha…?" He stammered.

Crouching in front of him was a little girl looking no older than eight, with eyes the palest of blue it was almost white, and extremely long black hair reaching to her knees. She was wearing a light blue dress and she was barefoot. Her eyes twinkled mischievously, but he could almost swear that he saw a flicker of something _dangerous_ dwelling inside those bottomless depths.

Though while that is all well and good, he honestly expected something a little more... otherworldly.

Not that he's asking for it. It's just… there is nothing that can indicate that she's a ghost. No horrifying injuries present, no witch-like qualities, no glowing aura… if he didn't know any better he would think she was just an ordinary girl who got lost just like he did.

" **A turtle."** She suddenly whispered before smiling. **"I've never seen one this big before."**

"Uhh…" This _can't_ be. He _cannot_ be talking and staring right into the face of a creepy ghost girl straight from hell. This is just not possible!

" _ **And a sentient one at that."**_ She cocked her head to the side, her smile starting to make him uneasy. _ **"Interesting."**_

"W _-Who…?"_ His whole body was trembling uncontrollably, much to his dismay. And to make matters worse, his gut is practically _screaming_ at him that there's something wrong with that girl, and he's got the feeling it has _nothing_ to do with the fact that she's a ghost.

" _ **I am Sallie."**_ She was still smiling, the edges of her mouth slowly getting wider and wider until it completely split her whole face into two.

" _ **Welcome to my house."**_


End file.
